Host Karen James speaks with Alex Coven, attorney with Oregon Justice Resource Center’s Women’s Justice Project (OJRC), about his new “Guide to Court-Ordered Financial Obligations in Oregon Criminal Courts.” When someone gets in trouble with the law in Oregon, they may have to pay fines, fees, or restitution. Fines and fees for even a single incident can accumulate to thousands of dollars. Not paying court debts leads to problems making it harder to become financially stable, such as difficulty getting a driver's license, remaining longer on community supervision, or conviction expungement ineligibility. Studies show that certain groups are more harshly affected by fines and fees, such as people of color, women, and people on low incomes. There is also little evidence that imposing onerous fees and fines deters crime or improves public safety. This new FREE guide explains what the charges are and gives tips on how to reduce, cancel or figure out ways to pay owed fines and fees.
OJRC https://ojrc.info/
Download FREE Guide https://static1.squarespace.com/static/524b5617e4b0b106ced5f067/t/66ad46ecb935762c62ed34f4/1722631918633/COFOs-Guide.pdf