The People’s Convening on Fines and Fees in NC
The convening will provide space to define the issue and highlight the impact that criminal legal fines have on thousands of North Carolinians as attendees work towards solutions.
Durham, N.C. – Beginning May 31, 2024, The People’s Convening on Fines and Fees in NC will provide space for community members, elected officials, advocates, and policy makers to come together to define the issue of criminal legal fines and fees through simulations and panel discussions led by people directly-impacted by the issue, with input from local and national advocates. Attendees will participate in breakout sessions and workshops to collaborate across disciplines, experiences, and backgrounds to work towards solutions and propose innovative ideas to implement change in North Carolina.
Since 1999, the number of criminal court fees in North Carolina has increased from 4 to 45 and the base cost for use of court has increased from $61 to $176. These fees are unaffordable for many North Carolinians and lead to financial hardship as well as other collateral consequences like Driver’s License suspension, extended community supervision, and sometimes incarceration. In addition to ongoing advocacy to reduce the overall number and amounts of criminal court costs, there are four major areas advocates are prioritizing policy change around: (1) The Drug Tax, (2) Ability to Pay Rules, (3) Drivers License Suspensions, and (4) the practice of converting criminal court fees into civil judgments. These debt-based punishments disproportionately impact Black, brown and poor people, criminalizing poverty and pushing people deeper and deeper into cycles of debt- and possibly even recidivism.
Linda Clayton, a community member directly impacted by court debt says, “The fines and fees that I incurred prior to my incarceration, that resulted in the loss of my driving license, hindered my ability to locate work, get to doctors appointments, get to the store for food, to drive anywhere legally. Coming out of prison and trying to approach life in a legal and productive manner is virtually impossible if you can not obtain your driver’s license. If not for the Benevolence Farm and the support they provided me with, I would have landed right back in the life that led me to prison in the first place. How can you expect a man or woman to walk the straight and narrow when you have shackled their legs together?”
The convening will address these topics through a fines and fees simulation activity with reflections, panel discussions highlighting local practices and breakout sessions on ways to get involved as a community member. Event organizers say they hope this convening will serve as an opportunity to expand their coalition and develop a base of supporters across NC whose voices and participation will be vital to the success of the campaign.
When: Friday, May 31, 2024 | 9am-5pm EST & Saturday, June 1, 2024 | 9am-3pm EST
Where: NCCU Student Center | 500 Nelson St, Durham, NC (map link)
Whitley Carpenter, Senior Criminal Justice Counsel and Policy Manager with Forward Justice Says, “We are working to combat criminal court-related debt and its consequences so that all North Carolinians have the opportunity to thrive. We must push back against the existing system of accountability that criminalizes and further punishes people for being poor. I look forward to convening such a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss this issue and craft innovative solutions to implement necessary policy change in North Carolina.”
Additional information: The North Carolina Fines and Fees Coalition is a group of community advocates, impacted persons, researchers and attorneys devoted to eliminating fines in fees in the criminal justice system in North Carolina. We are comprised over 10 different organizations in NC (American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of North Carolina, Benevolence Farm, Center for Responsible Lending, Coalition Against Racism, Down Home NC, Forward Justice, North Carolina Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System (NC-CRED), NC Justice Center, Self-Help Credit Union , Southern Poverty Law Center) and aim to continue to grow our coalition to address the issue of criminal justice debt in North Carolina through campaign building, research, policy advocacy, and litigation. Learn more at www.endcriminaljusticedebtnc.org.
About NCCU School of Law Social Justice and Racial Equity Institute (SJREI):
NCCU School of Law Social Justice and Racial Equity Institute (SJREI )is addressing systemic injustice through interdisciplinary problem solving. Learn more at law.nccu.edu
About Forward Justice
Forward Justice is a nonpartisan law, policy, and strategy center dedicated to advancing racial, social, and economic justice in the U.S. South. Our work catalyzes success for social movements and expands opportunities for people affected by injustice. Learn more at www.forwardjustice.org
About The NC Justice Center:
The NC Justice Center is a statewide organization that works to eliminate poverty in North Carolina by ensuring that every household in the state has access to economic opportunity, adequate health care, education, employment, and affordable housing. Learn more at: https://www.ncjustice.org/
About Self Help:
Our mission is creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all, especially people of color, women, rural residents and low-wealth families and communities. Learn more at: www.self-help.org
About The Center for Responsible Lending:
The Center for Responsible Lending is a non-partisan, nonprofit research and policy advocacy organization working to promote financial fairness and economic opportunity for all, end predatory lending, and close the racial wealth gap. Learn more at: www.responsiblelending.org
About Benevolence Farm:
Benevolence Farm seeks to cultivate leadership, promote sustainable livelihoods, and reap structural change with individuals impacted by the criminal legal system in North Carolina. Learn more at: www.benevolencefarm.org/