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hyperspacial · 2 years ago

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And speeding tickets are only one head of the hydra- parking tickets, license revokations, and repeat offender penalties are all things that drive mass incarceration of poor people.

Because if you're rich or middle class and you get a ticket, you stomp your feet and pay the ticket. It impacts you more depending how tight your budget is, but it's not worldending.

But if you're working class? Tickets often cut into spending for essentials, and a lot of people make the decision that it's not worth paying instead of utilities or groceries. Or maybe because you're in survival mode you forget to pay the ticket on time, and now the additional fees make it so you can't afford it at all.

Then you're out driving and get pulled over for an unrelated offense and suddenly, you have a warrant, because your license was revoked for unpaid fines. The officer takes you to county jail, your car is impounded or taken as evidence (more money to get back), you likely no-call no-show to work and face repercussions and firing there. You go before a judge who if you're lucky offers you a payment plan, if you're unlucky issues bond that you can't pay.

I used to work at a law office that regularly went into the jail, and I would guess 30% of the people there were in for driving on a suspended license (and the rest were there because they couldn't make bond which is a whole other can of worms). The problem is that for impoverished people, speeding tickets provide a slippery slope to getting involved with the courts, which demands they interrupt their work and life schedule to come in for hearings, and racking up more fees. If you fail to attend or don't pay, it snowballs into worse charges and more life disruption.

Speeding tickets only hurt poor people

#i used to be struck by how invasive court demands were on people #like its our job to show up to every hearing and were getting paid to do so #but our clients? are having to ask off work every time the matter gets set for a follow up hearing.#theyre having to arrange for a ride because theyre not supposed to be driving but how the hell do they get to court and work #if they have kids they have to find childcare or arrange someone else to pick them up #if they have a shift job where they cant just get off easily along with all these factors a lot of people say screw it and stop showing up #which then turns a license suspension on the condition of paying tickets into a license revocation #and it becomes a crime to be caught driving without a license so now theyre facing criminal penalties #all because they didnt have money to take care of fines or the ability to disrupt their lives to do 2-5 court sessions #and then guess what? once you have a conviction for a driving offense? a lot of jobs require you to drive #you cant work for doordash anymore you face employment discrimination #you can face parental rights disputes because youre no longer able to legally drive your kids to their school #and god knows the bus system is deeply flawed #so basically speeding/parking tickets are a huge force keeping people in poverty and we should abolish or tie them to the offenders income #and i know its easy for privileged people to just be like 'prioritize paying the ticket in the first place and it wont spiral'#but like i mentioned before being in survival mode trying to financially meet yours and your familys needs physically changes your brain #what often comes off as apathy towards the court system or forgetfullness or definance is just... normal frustration with a system #that punishes the poorest and most vulnerable people #you would be pissed if/when you have to go to court too. but its the poorest people in need of help who end up in court over and over again

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