An Assessment of Legal Financial Obligations in Michigan Probation

• In Event: Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 7. Inequality and the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

Statutory authority within the State of Michigan allows for the assessment and collection of several different types of monetary sanctions for individuals under supervision. Legal fines and fees related to probation sentences can be mandated at the district, county, and state levels, and differ between jurisdictions.
In the state of Michigan, misdemeanor crimes are processed at the district court level and can include a probation sentence, jail time, and/or fines and fees. Monetary sanctions for misdemeanor probation can be broken down into five main categories: 1) Probation Oversight Fees, 2) Programming Fees, 3) General Court Costs, 4) Prosecution & Sentencing Costs, and 5) Restitution. These monetary sanctions, according to Michigan Court Rule 1.110, must be paid at the time of assessment unless the court allows for a payment plan. Utilizing logistic regression we provide a scathing review of patterns surrounding fines and punishment by race, gender and other key covariates to present a picture of supervision punishment that is extensive, punitive, and far reaching with severe outcomes for marginalized persons that plays a key role in the intergenerational transmission of poverty and expansion of poverty for those on the cusp of working class status.

Authors

• Meghan M. O'Neil, Michigan State University

• Jenna Pryor

• Candice Tudor, Michigan School of Psychology

• David A. Seaman, Population Studies Center

• Henry Cole, University of Michigan Flint