New OK Policy report calls for reform to fix broken system of court fines and fees Tens of thousands of Oklahomans enter the justice system each year, and many come out owing thousands of dollars in fines and fees. For poor Oklahomans, this debt can swallow up most of their family’s income and trap them in a cycle of incarceration and poverty. Dozens of state agencies receive funding from these fees, which have been used to plug holes in their budgets as tax revenue dries up. However, because most criminal defendants are already in poverty, only a small fraction of criminal fines and fees are ever collected, and state and local governments in Oklahoma spend far more to incarcerate people for nonpayment. A new report from Oklahoma Policy Institute, "The Cost Trap: How Excessive Fees Lock Oklahomans Into the Criminal Justice System without Boosting State Revenue", examines the growth of fines and fees in recent years; how this court debt impacts the justice system and poor Oklahomans; and the role that fine and fee revenue has come to play in state agency budgets. The report also lays out recommendations for reform. “By charging people thousands of dollars in numerous fees, Oklahoma makes it much harder for anyone to get back on their feet after a criminal conviction,” said OK Policy analyst Ryan Gentzler, the author of the report. “When we incarcerate people for failure to pay these costs, we make it even less likely that they’ll be able to pay in the future while spending millions in taxpayer dollars to hold them in overcrowded jails.” You can find the executive summary and the full report here. Also released today is a companion report that recommends specific legal reforms to make court costs more just and efficient. The report, titled "The Costs of Justice: A Plan for Promoting Efficiency & Public Safety through Criminal Court Costs Reform", was created by the Lobeck Taylor Community Advocacy Clinic at the University of Tulsa, in collaboration with Oklahoma Policy Institute. "Research shows that Oklahoma's current court costs system harms low-income defendants and their families while offering little benefit to the state or taxpayers." said Kymberli Heckenkemper, one of the authors of the report. "This system can and should be improved through a number of relatively simple changes in policy and practice, including changes that have been recommended by national experts and tested in other jurisdictions." You can download the Costs of Justice report here. A diverse group of Oklahoma advocates have joined the call for reform, including Right On Crime Oklahoma, ACLU Oklahoma, VOICE OKC, and the Oklahoma Conference of Churches. "The findings and policy recommendations from these two studies should be a wake up call for every lawmaker in Oklahoma," said Andrew Speno, Oklahoma Director for the Right On Crime initiative. "Our current system is fiscally reckless, unsustainable and requires conservative solutions. If we want to break the cycle of over-incarceration and recidivism, as well as the outrageous toll it takes on our state budget, reforming our fines and fees structure is a critical step." Lawmakers have introduced bills that would begin to address the problem this year. HB 1476 by Rep. George Young (D-Oklahoma City) and Rep. Mark McBride (R-Moore) would reform the process of collecting court debts with a graduated approach that accounts for true ability to pay. SB 689 by Sen. Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) would provide specific guidance to courts to determine a person's ability to pay and limit monthly payments to a fixed percentage of discretionary income. SB 342 by Sen. David Holt (R-Oklahoma City) would create a task force to collect better information on the amount of court debt that is collected and the frequency of incarceration for failure to pay. "I am excited about the possibilities of this legislation and what it could mean to those who are struggling with the burdens of our judicial system," said Rep. Young. "I think this should be a bipartisan effort," said Rep. McBride. "Not to be soft on crime, but to be smart on crime." Gentzler said that reforming a broken fine and fee system is a key step to creating a better justice system. "Lawmakers and voters both approved strong criminal justice reform measures in the last year," he said. "For those efforts to succeed, we must also find a way to fund the justice system without placing unmanageable financial burdens on those who can never pay them." You can view the full report from OK Policy here or download it as a pdf here. Connect with Us info@okpolicy.org Unsubscribe