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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.
(Score: 2, Touché) by kurenai.tsubasa on Thursday December 29 2016, @03:36PM
Where's our authoritarians? *sigh*, I guess they're out sick today so I'll try my best.
If they weren't up to no good in first place, they wouldn't have been arrested! Can't pay the fine, don't do the crime!
Don't these hooligans realize how much valuable time they cost our public servants? Of course they should have to pay us taxpayers back. It's not like they're paying any taxes anyway! We wouldn't need a criminal justice system without these hooligans. I say they should be fined $50, no $100! If they can't pay, throw 'em in the slammer and make 'em work it off. Lazy bums might learn some worth ethic that way instead of getting high all day!
See, this is what happens when you legalize cannabis! Mass hysteria! Hooligans getting all up on my lawn! Those self-entitled millennials need to learn TANSTAAFL!
(Should I have gone for “snowflakes” there instead of “millennials?”)
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday December 29 2016, @05:08PM
With any luck, 2016 took them. And they're now flailing in the flames of their own evils in Hell, and dreading their upcoming reincarnations as poor, disabled black girls in the Sahel in the mid 2020s.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...