David Silenus
Whatever happened to “innocent until proven guilty” ???
RPB efforts to “starve” government at all levels puts financial burden of institutional maintenance on people who have been arrested —
even if they’re released without charges … or the charges are dismissed … or they’re found innocent … basically NON-REFUNDABLE …
““Revenue-starved local governments are increasingly turning toward fees in order to bridge their budgetary gaps,” says one Supreme Court brief.
“But the unilateral decision of a single police officer cannot possibly justify summarily confiscating money.”
“Providing a profit motive to make arrests,” it says, “gives officers an incentive to make improper arrests” …
“$25 is not a lot of money — unless you are poor.
It represents almost half a day’s work at the federal minimum wage,
a federal judge wrote in a dissent in another case on booking fees,
and it is nearly the average amount the government allots to help feed an adult for a week under the federal food-stamp program.”
The Supreme Court will weigh hearing a challenge to a Minnesota county’s policy of charging “booking fees” — a growing trend in strapped municipalities.
Source: Charged a Fee for Getting Arrested, Whether Guilty or Not – The New York Times