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posted by on Thursday December 29 2016, @11:35AM   Printer-friendly
from the how-else-can-they-afford-their-toys dept.

In the wrong place at the wrong time? Tough luck, says the state of Colorado. If you are arrested the police will charge you a $25 booking fee. If you can't pay on the spot, don't worry, they'll bill you. Even if charges are dismissed, or you are aquitted, you still pay a price! But fear not, if you can prove you are innocent (beyond reasonable doubt) you can get your money back. This is not something new, but something that people should be aware of.

Charon writes:

There is a case before the US Supreme Court, Nelson v. Colorado, which will be argued on Jan. 9, regarding the difficulty of getting fees and penalties refunded when defendants are found innocent.

And it's not just Colorado. Another case from Minnesota:

Corey Statham had $46 in his pockets when he was arrested in Ramsey County, Minn., and charged with disorderly conduct. He was released two days later, and the charges were dismissed.

But the county kept $25 of Mr. Statham's money as a "booking fee." It returned the remaining $21 on a debit card subject to an array of fees. In the end, it cost Mr. Statham $7.25 to withdraw what was left of his money.

The Supreme Court will soon consider whether to hear Mr. Statham's challenge to Ramsey County's fund-raising efforts, which are part of a national trend to extract fees and fines from people who find themselves enmeshed in the criminal justice system.


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by tangomargarine on Thursday December 29 2016, @03:22PM

    by tangomargarine (667) on Thursday December 29 2016, @03:22PM (#447093)

    He did get a debit card for the remaining $21. But there was no practical way to extract his cash without paying some kind of fee. Among them: $1.50 a week for “maintenance” of the unwanted card, starting after 36 hours; $2.75 for using an A.T.M. to withdraw money; $3 for transferring the balance to a bank account; and $1.50 for checking the balance.

    In its appeals court brief, the county said the debit cards were provided “for the convenience of the inmates,” who might find it hard to cash a check.

    [...]

    Mr. Carvin said the county’s motives were not rooted in solicitude for the people it had arrested. “Revenue-starved local governments are increasingly turning toward fees like Ramsey County’s in order to bridge their budgetary gaps,” he wrote in a Supreme Court brief. “But the unilateral decision of a single police officer cannot possibly justify summarily confiscating money.”

    Why the fuck are they taking all his cash to begin with? Just put it in a box then give him his original bills back when he's released. Instead apparently the money gets sucked into the banking system as soon as they book him? Which if I'm reading this right, is because they assume he's going to be found guilty. Marvelous.

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  • (Score: 5, Funny) by jmorris on Thursday December 29 2016, @05:40PM

    by jmorris (4844) on Thursday December 29 2016, @05:40PM (#447145)

    They put the cash into a bank because if they left all those wallets intact they know their corrupt employees would pilfer the money while it was stored and the government would have to replace it since the booking records show it was there at the time of arrest. Remember, Democrat machines aren't just corrupt at the top, everybody gets their job because of who they know instead of ability or honesty and you can't fire one, ever.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 29 2016, @06:42PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 29 2016, @06:42PM (#447159)

      Harharhar you partisan hack. They're all corrupt and greedy, that's the real NWO.

      • (Score: 2, Insightful) by jmorris on Thursday December 29 2016, @07:29PM

        by jmorris (4844) on Thursday December 29 2016, @07:29PM (#447175)

        Pray tell us where a Republican machine still runs an American city. Ojce upon a time they existed, no more.

        • (Score: 2) by edIII on Thursday December 29 2016, @08:43PM

          by edIII (791) on Thursday December 29 2016, @08:43PM (#447186)

          Oh shut the fuck up you partisan hack!

          This has nothing to do with trusting cops with physical bills. Put it in a bank you moron? What fucking bank? Are they complying with the Patriot Act? Is it FDIC regulated?

          Leave their PROPERTY in a fucking locked cage. The real issue here is that they are inspecting your debit cards in your wallet and then STEALING the fucking money. There was no valid transaction, no trial, no judge, no anything.

          They UNILATERALLY stole money direct from a citizen. Shut the fuck up with your bullshit Repugnican crap! Like the police in the past under Republican control was so much better? I'm sure.

          What a fucking moron you are.

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          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 30 2016, @03:47AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 30 2016, @03:47AM (#447266)

            It was cash in his wallet, they took the cash, then when returning his belongings (after subtracting the 25 dollar fee from his available funds) returned the remaining balance not as the cash from his wallet, but as a debit card which charged fees in order to regain the cash he had previously had in his pocket.

            Mull on that a moment and think if that is truly the sort of society you wish to live in.