Northport residents await their court appearances at the Northport Public Safety Building in Northport, Ala., on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. A recent report found that Alabama’s method funding criminal justice makes it difficult for crime victims to collect restitution. (Will McLelland for Alabama Reflector)
A recent report found that Alabama’s method of funding its criminal justice system may affect the ability of crime victims to receive compensation.
The report is a project of Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice in collaboration with University of Alabama Birmingham; Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation and the 10th Judicial Circuit, which includes Birmingham.
The brief, published in August, builds on earlier work that found Alabama’s reliance on fines and fees to fund courts is inefficient and creates hardship for people living in poverty. But researchers also concluded that the inefficiencies complicate efforts to get payments to crime victims.
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