Northport residents sand in line to enter the courtroom at the Northport Public Safety Building in Northport, Ala., on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. A recent report found that with many fines and fees borne by poor people, about 42% are not paying what they’ve been assessed. The report recommended lowering fines and fees as a way of improving overall revenue collection. (Will McLelland for Alabama Reflector)
A recent report found that reducing the size of fines and fees increases the likelihood of collecting more revenue, and that imposing a “collections fee” to compel people to pay increases their debt burden.
The report from the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, published in October, draws on five years of research into fines and fees imposed in the court system within Jefferson County, which includes Birmingham. It could have major salience in a state where governments rely heavily on fines and fees for revenue…