Unveiled: Kentucky Center for Economic Policy's report exposing the secret network of criminal penalties and associated fees in the state
In a groundbreaking report titled "The Hidden Web of Criminal Legal System Fines and Fees in Kentucky," the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KCEP) has highlighted the burdensome impact of these fees on Kentuckians behind bars and their loved ones. The report, authored by Ashley Spalding and Pam Thomas, reveals over 1,000 provisions in Kentucky state law that impose criminal legal system fines and fees.
The report finds that these fines and fees don't deter crime and are a small and unreliable source of revenue. Incarcerated workers in Kentucky earn pennies for their labor and struggle to pay mounting institutional debts, health care services, and overpriced necessities in these facilities.
Patience Martin, a co-author of the report, states, "The fees are incredibly burdensome for Kentuckians behind bars and their loved ones." Spalding, another co-author, urges lawmakers to seize the opportunity during the legislative session to reform the criminal legal system fines and fees in Kentucky.
The report recommends several key policy reforms to address the problems caused by these fines and fees. One of the recommendations is to require comprehensive data collection, reporting, and transparency regarding fines and fees. Currently, Kentucky lacks a centralized, publicly available database on this issue, making it difficult to analyze and reform system impacts.
Another recommendation is to eliminate or reduce the reliance on these fines and fees as a funding source, shifting towards more equitable means to support courts and local criminal legal systems. The report suggests establishing a uniform ability-to-pay determination and enacting a statute of limitations for the collection of criminal legal system fines and fees.
The report also calls for the elimination of the use of jail time for unpaid court debt. However, it does not include civil or locally imposed fines and fees, restitution or asset forfeiture in its review.
The full report is available online at kypolicy.org. The researchers submitted open records requests to each of Kentucky's 74 full-service jails and received responses from 57 of them. As of 2019, Kentuckians owe at least $91 million in outstanding fines and fees debt due to these provisions.
The report provides new, foundational insight into the onerous incarceration fees imposed across Kentucky. KCEP advocates for increased transparency, data-driven oversight, and ultimately reducing the financial burdens of criminal fines and fees to prevent the cascading harms they cause across Kentucky communities.
- The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy's report on criminal legal system fines and fees in Kentucky reveals that these fees are incredibly burdensome for incarcerated individuals and their loved ones.
- The report suggests several policy reforms to address the issues caused by these fines and fees, including the requirement for comprehensive data collection and transparency, the elimination or reduction of their reliance as a funding source, and the abolition of jail time for unpaid court debt.
- Ashley Spalding and Pam Thomas, authors of the report, urge lawmakers to seize the opportunity during the legislative session to reform the criminal legal system fines and fees in Kentucky.
- The report states that the fines and fees don't deter crime and are a small and unreliable source of revenue, and that Kentuckians owe at least $91 million in outstanding fines and fees debt due to these provisions.
