Jackson Free Press, March 13, 2016: Profiting From Probation: ‘You Don’t Criminalize Poverty’
“Here in Rutherford County and in more than 1,000 courts in about a dozen states, including Mississippi, probation for misdemeanors is a profit-making — and increasingly contentious — venture. While those with cash to pay fines often avoid supervision, poor offenders can be snared in debt and punishment. The practice has sparked widening debate and numerous lawsuits demanding change.”