In New Orleans, as
in many cities around the country, nearly every phase of the criminal justice
system imposes a financial cost on the “users” of that system, even before they
are convicted of a crime. These bail, fines, and fees take a steep toll on the
people who face them and their families. They also affect taxpayers, who bear
the cost of excess incarceration when people can’t pay.
This video highlights
the voices of four so-called justice system “users”—people forced to pay bond
or lose their liberty till trial. Their accounts help illustrate the problems
inherent in this system, particularly the difficult choices the criminal
justice system pushes them to make: paying their bond fees and paying for food
and clothing for themselves and their families; bailing out their family
members or paying rent.
Learn more about the use of bail, fines, and fees: http://www.vera.org/past-due