The High Cost of Juvenile Fines and Fees
Featuring Jessica Feierman, Associate Director of the Juvenile Law Center, Kate Weisburd, Director of the Youth Defender Clinic at the East Bay Community Law Center, and Jeffrey Selbin and Stephanie Campos-Bui of the Policy Advocacy Clinic at Berkeley Law.
The Juvenile Law Center recently published a report, Debtors’ Prison for Kids, the High Cost of Juvenile Fines and Fees, based on research on state laws from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as interviews with children’s lawyers across the country. Learn about how court costs, fines and restitution payments can lead to confinement for failure to pay, follow youth into adulthood, prevent the sealing or expungement of juvenile records, increase recidivism, and worsen existing racial and economic disparities in the justice system.
Then hear about successful advocacy reform efforts underway in California. Starting with Alameda County, legal advocates partnered with law school clinical students to document local policy and practice, then successfully advocated for the elimination of fines and fees in county juvenile court. We will also hear about their most recent efforts to introduce statewide legislation.
Visit www.jlc.org/ DebtorsPrisonforKids to learn more about the issue, view interactive state maps, and learn about the laws in your state.
Email Carrie Rae Boatman at carrierae@ to RSVP for the call.