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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: 2) by SecurityGuy on Thursday December 29 2016, @08:46PM

    by SecurityGuy (1453) on Thursday December 29 2016, @08:46PM (#447187)

    Couldn't agree more. I pay taxes for the bad guys to get arrested. There's no need at all to charge people money for arresting them.

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