Ending the Fines and Fees Debt Trap in Alabama: A Call to Action
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program hosted an invitation-only conversation on Ending the Fines and Fees Debt Trap in Alabama: A Call to Action in Birmingham on October 24, 2019.
This non-partisan event gathered senior leaders and stakeholders from the public, private and independent sectors with the goal of spurring greater attention and leadership commitment to tackling government-imposed fines and fees. In Alabama and across the nation, criminal justice systems have imposed burdensome fines, fees, court costs, and other debts onto residents, creating a “two-tier justice system” with disastrous human, economic, and public safety consequences. Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice’s report, Under Pressure, highlights these inequitable practices, and sustainable reforms and remedies to increase economic productivity in Alabama by removing systemic barriers to employment, especially as they relate to the criminal justice system.
The discussion was co-hosted by Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program. Alabama Appleseed is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to achieve justice and racial equity for all Alabamians. The Financial Security Program is committed to illuminating and solving the most critical financial challenges facing American households and making financial security for all a top national priority.