The state of Iowa collects millions of dollars in fines from people whose charges were dismissed. There's also a Catch-22: financially, you're better off guilty
The true essence of investigative journalism is to expose the misdeeds of those in power, whether it is the state or individuals. This article does exactly that. Thank you for your work.
I just got around to reading this, and I too am surprised at how few comments there are. Maybe because there's nothing to argue about? This is one of those issues like civil asset forfeiture where the public support is around 0%, and yet no politician runs on reforming it, and the media mostly ignores it. Why do you all think that is?
Great article. As someone who has been arrested multiple times in a different state, I completely agree. Courts will buckle and dime you at every step. Even an expungement cost over $1000 not even including the lawyer. There are a lot of struggling people in my area who just sit in jail because they can’t avoid jail. Basically debtors jail.
What prevents the police from bringing up spurious charges on anyone they "don't like" so as to discourage or prevent their ability to act in a way that works against the government's agendas? So for example: the police have a habit of setting up road blocks into certain neighborhoods to search people for drugs, etc. A group of activists in that neighborhood decide to hold demonstrations and get news coverage. Police decide to bring baseless charges to the community leaders that will later be dropped but not before saddling them with a legal battle that cost them time, money and harm their reputation. Tying up local organizers in legal red tape and financial hardship could ease unwanted pressure acting against government overreach.
As a former public defender it has always troubled me that if I won a case (and believe me, it didn’t happen often) the client was still on the hook to the State for my services. It’s even worse in the private sector because legal fees are much higher. There is never recourse for a police officer or prosecutor who brings a bullshit case.
This is horrific. I understand that the police and legal system need to be funded, but giving them a profit motive inevitably leads to corruption. How can any action the police or legal system make be considered an unbiased application of the law when there are dollar signs attached to it?
The Pols in this morally bankrupt Dystopia are there to be humiliated, stripped and made to suffer. This is how the ‘outer party’ base, the upper middle class reaffirms and feels right about itself. The Pols have nobody in the two party plutocracy to protect even the most basics of their integrity and rights. Thx Matt for exposing all the Corp Dems don’t do!
Matt, I have an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court over U.S. Mail fraud on a 2020 cert petition to the Polk District Court regarding Iowa State Public Defender defrauding me by failing to give credit for partial private payments. Timbs v Indiana caps simple misdemeanors to $625. Happy to share records.
I lived in York, PA for a while and used to drink beers with the now mayor at basically wvery bar in town.
Before he was mayor but trying to be we often talked unfair policies.
York had a dismal economy and a private corporation came around and told them that putting in parking meter would make the. A million in year of revenue. How would this be possible in a small dismal town you ask? Well thats simple the parking meters were coin operated and you could only pay for them im 2 hour limits but they were daily cheaper than either of the cities 2 parking garages.
I knew a bus boy whose car broke down in a metered spot, it took him a day to get together enough cash to pay for a 90 dollar tow, in that time though he had 50 dollars in parking tickets and one of the towing companies with a contract for the city had already towed the vehicle. He paid the 50 bucks fine immediately because after 5 days of it being unpaid it would become a bench warrant.
Now he needed 160 for the tow company to release his vehicle. He didn't have that and each day they charged him 120 additional dollars after 5 days the corrupt tow company owner told him he could sign over his title to remove the debt or it would continue to go up and become once again a legal matter.
He lost the car.
Same city, I parked my jeep in a privately metered spot behind my office, my office space I rented came with no parking spots and I had to unload some things. I paid 2 hours but got tied up in the office and came out two hours later to find my jeep gone. I called the police to report it stolen and they told me it had been towed. I said it was only there for 6 hours and the law says it has to be illegally parked 24 hours and receive 3 notices before it can be towed.
They said nothing, they said if I want to come downtown I can file a civil complaint. I said why do I need to file a civil complaint, I am reporting grand theft auto. They hung up on me, no shit.
The tow truck company who towed it when I went there I informed them they stole my car by towing it when it was illegal to do so, they said you can pay the tow and get your car or who knows what might happen to it while it sits out there.
Article on culture war: 888 comments.
Article on poor people getting crushed by the State: 3 comments.
Even allowing for a holiday-weekend lull, this seems to say something about our priorities.
The true essence of investigative journalism is to expose the misdeeds of those in power, whether it is the state or individuals. This article does exactly that. Thank you for your work.
I just got around to reading this, and I too am surprised at how few comments there are. Maybe because there's nothing to argue about? This is one of those issues like civil asset forfeiture where the public support is around 0%, and yet no politician runs on reforming it, and the media mostly ignores it. Why do you all think that is?
Great article. As someone who has been arrested multiple times in a different state, I completely agree. Courts will buckle and dime you at every step. Even an expungement cost over $1000 not even including the lawyer. There are a lot of struggling people in my area who just sit in jail because they can’t avoid jail. Basically debtors jail.
What prevents the police from bringing up spurious charges on anyone they "don't like" so as to discourage or prevent their ability to act in a way that works against the government's agendas? So for example: the police have a habit of setting up road blocks into certain neighborhoods to search people for drugs, etc. A group of activists in that neighborhood decide to hold demonstrations and get news coverage. Police decide to bring baseless charges to the community leaders that will later be dropped but not before saddling them with a legal battle that cost them time, money and harm their reputation. Tying up local organizers in legal red tape and financial hardship could ease unwanted pressure acting against government overreach.
As a former public defender it has always troubled me that if I won a case (and believe me, it didn’t happen often) the client was still on the hook to the State for my services. It’s even worse in the private sector because legal fees are much higher. There is never recourse for a police officer or prosecutor who brings a bullshit case.
America hate the poor because the rich wrote the law
This is horrific. I understand that the police and legal system need to be funded, but giving them a profit motive inevitably leads to corruption. How can any action the police or legal system make be considered an unbiased application of the law when there are dollar signs attached to it?
Matt, I refuse to believe you had the word "burghers" queued up ready to use in your mind on a moment's notice when the time was right.
The Pols in this morally bankrupt Dystopia are there to be humiliated, stripped and made to suffer. This is how the ‘outer party’ base, the upper middle class reaffirms and feels right about itself. The Pols have nobody in the two party plutocracy to protect even the most basics of their integrity and rights. Thx Matt for exposing all the Corp Dems don’t do!
Matt, I have an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court over U.S. Mail fraud on a 2020 cert petition to the Polk District Court regarding Iowa State Public Defender defrauding me by failing to give credit for partial private payments. Timbs v Indiana caps simple misdemeanors to $625. Happy to share records.
I lived in York, PA for a while and used to drink beers with the now mayor at basically wvery bar in town.
Before he was mayor but trying to be we often talked unfair policies.
York had a dismal economy and a private corporation came around and told them that putting in parking meter would make the. A million in year of revenue. How would this be possible in a small dismal town you ask? Well thats simple the parking meters were coin operated and you could only pay for them im 2 hour limits but they were daily cheaper than either of the cities 2 parking garages.
I knew a bus boy whose car broke down in a metered spot, it took him a day to get together enough cash to pay for a 90 dollar tow, in that time though he had 50 dollars in parking tickets and one of the towing companies with a contract for the city had already towed the vehicle. He paid the 50 bucks fine immediately because after 5 days of it being unpaid it would become a bench warrant.
Now he needed 160 for the tow company to release his vehicle. He didn't have that and each day they charged him 120 additional dollars after 5 days the corrupt tow company owner told him he could sign over his title to remove the debt or it would continue to go up and become once again a legal matter.
He lost the car.
Same city, I parked my jeep in a privately metered spot behind my office, my office space I rented came with no parking spots and I had to unload some things. I paid 2 hours but got tied up in the office and came out two hours later to find my jeep gone. I called the police to report it stolen and they told me it had been towed. I said it was only there for 6 hours and the law says it has to be illegally parked 24 hours and receive 3 notices before it can be towed.
They said nothing, they said if I want to come downtown I can file a civil complaint. I said why do I need to file a civil complaint, I am reporting grand theft auto. They hung up on me, no shit.
The tow truck company who towed it when I went there I informed them they stole my car by towing it when it was illegal to do so, they said you can pay the tow and get your car or who knows what might happen to it while it sits out there.
I get the same feeling reading this as I did with The Divide: the urge to defecate on the desk of every crappy judge and prosecutor.
This is truly terrible and sad. I wonder if similar practices are done in Canada?