SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Private probation companies hired by U.S. courts are making millions of dollars off probationers who are increasingly caught in a web of penalty fees, debt collection, and further jail time in a booming and highly unregulated probation services scheme, a new report by Human Rights Watch revealed Wednesday.
According to the report, Profiting from Probation: America's 'Offender-Funded' Probation Industry, local courts are hiring for-profit companies to supervise probation for low-level offenders. However, these private firms do not charge the courts for these services. The fees are instead extracted from the probationers they are in charge of.
If those fees, which often increase over time, cannot be paid, probationers are often sent to jail and the cycle continues all over again.
"Courts sentence several hundred thousand people to probation with private companies every year but many do almost nothing to guard against abusive practices," said Chris Albin-Lackey, senior researcher on business and human rights for HRW. "Perversely, some of America's poorest counties are golden business opportunities for the industry precisely because so many residents struggle to pay off their fines."
"In many cases, the only reason people are put on probation is because they need time to pay off fines and court costs linked to minor crimes," according to HRW. "In some of these cases, probation companies act more like abusive debt collectors than probation officers, charging the debtors for their services."
As Al Jazeera America reports:
While private companies save the courts money by charging taxpayers nothing, and have been used for decades, they can make it harder for poor offenders to get back on their feet, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) study. In one case, a man resorted to selling his own blood to pay charges relating to a fine for stealing a solitary can of beer, according to the report.
"Many of the people supervised by these companies wouldn't be on probation to begin with if they had more money," said Albin-Lackey. "Often, the poorer people are, the more they ultimately pay in company fees and the more likely it is that they will wind up behind bars."
Meanwhile, the private probation firms are making millions of dollars from the arrangements. HRW estimates the industry collects at least $40 million a year in the state of Georgia alone.
The structure of these companies creates financial incentives for probation officers to extract high fees from the cases they supervise, said Albin-Lackey. "Their employees are the last people who should be entrusted with determining whether an offender can afford to pay company fees."
Human Rights Watch conducted research in Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. "Numerous egregious cases," were uncovered "that illustrate the abuses related to outsourcing probation supervision as it is practiced today." Specific instances of abuse included:
Watch HRW's video detailing the findings below:
US: For-Profit Probation Tramples Rights of Poor(New York, February 5, 2014) – Every year, US courts sentence several hundred thousand misdemeanor offenders to probation ...
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Private probation companies hired by U.S. courts are making millions of dollars off probationers who are increasingly caught in a web of penalty fees, debt collection, and further jail time in a booming and highly unregulated probation services scheme, a new report by Human Rights Watch revealed Wednesday.
According to the report, Profiting from Probation: America's 'Offender-Funded' Probation Industry, local courts are hiring for-profit companies to supervise probation for low-level offenders. However, these private firms do not charge the courts for these services. The fees are instead extracted from the probationers they are in charge of.
If those fees, which often increase over time, cannot be paid, probationers are often sent to jail and the cycle continues all over again.
"Courts sentence several hundred thousand people to probation with private companies every year but many do almost nothing to guard against abusive practices," said Chris Albin-Lackey, senior researcher on business and human rights for HRW. "Perversely, some of America's poorest counties are golden business opportunities for the industry precisely because so many residents struggle to pay off their fines."
"In many cases, the only reason people are put on probation is because they need time to pay off fines and court costs linked to minor crimes," according to HRW. "In some of these cases, probation companies act more like abusive debt collectors than probation officers, charging the debtors for their services."
As Al Jazeera America reports:
While private companies save the courts money by charging taxpayers nothing, and have been used for decades, they can make it harder for poor offenders to get back on their feet, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) study. In one case, a man resorted to selling his own blood to pay charges relating to a fine for stealing a solitary can of beer, according to the report.
"Many of the people supervised by these companies wouldn't be on probation to begin with if they had more money," said Albin-Lackey. "Often, the poorer people are, the more they ultimately pay in company fees and the more likely it is that they will wind up behind bars."
Meanwhile, the private probation firms are making millions of dollars from the arrangements. HRW estimates the industry collects at least $40 million a year in the state of Georgia alone.
The structure of these companies creates financial incentives for probation officers to extract high fees from the cases they supervise, said Albin-Lackey. "Their employees are the last people who should be entrusted with determining whether an offender can afford to pay company fees."
Human Rights Watch conducted research in Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. "Numerous egregious cases," were uncovered "that illustrate the abuses related to outsourcing probation supervision as it is practiced today." Specific instances of abuse included:
Watch HRW's video detailing the findings below:
US: For-Profit Probation Tramples Rights of Poor(New York, February 5, 2014) – Every year, US courts sentence several hundred thousand misdemeanor offenders to probation ...
Private probation companies hired by U.S. courts are making millions of dollars off probationers who are increasingly caught in a web of penalty fees, debt collection, and further jail time in a booming and highly unregulated probation services scheme, a new report by Human Rights Watch revealed Wednesday.
According to the report, Profiting from Probation: America's 'Offender-Funded' Probation Industry, local courts are hiring for-profit companies to supervise probation for low-level offenders. However, these private firms do not charge the courts for these services. The fees are instead extracted from the probationers they are in charge of.
If those fees, which often increase over time, cannot be paid, probationers are often sent to jail and the cycle continues all over again.
"Courts sentence several hundred thousand people to probation with private companies every year but many do almost nothing to guard against abusive practices," said Chris Albin-Lackey, senior researcher on business and human rights for HRW. "Perversely, some of America's poorest counties are golden business opportunities for the industry precisely because so many residents struggle to pay off their fines."
"In many cases, the only reason people are put on probation is because they need time to pay off fines and court costs linked to minor crimes," according to HRW. "In some of these cases, probation companies act more like abusive debt collectors than probation officers, charging the debtors for their services."
As Al Jazeera America reports:
While private companies save the courts money by charging taxpayers nothing, and have been used for decades, they can make it harder for poor offenders to get back on their feet, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) study. In one case, a man resorted to selling his own blood to pay charges relating to a fine for stealing a solitary can of beer, according to the report.
"Many of the people supervised by these companies wouldn't be on probation to begin with if they had more money," said Albin-Lackey. "Often, the poorer people are, the more they ultimately pay in company fees and the more likely it is that they will wind up behind bars."
Meanwhile, the private probation firms are making millions of dollars from the arrangements. HRW estimates the industry collects at least $40 million a year in the state of Georgia alone.
The structure of these companies creates financial incentives for probation officers to extract high fees from the cases they supervise, said Albin-Lackey. "Their employees are the last people who should be entrusted with determining whether an offender can afford to pay company fees."
Human Rights Watch conducted research in Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. "Numerous egregious cases," were uncovered "that illustrate the abuses related to outsourcing probation supervision as it is practiced today." Specific instances of abuse included:
Watch HRW's video detailing the findings below:
US: For-Profit Probation Tramples Rights of Poor(New York, February 5, 2014) – Every year, US courts sentence several hundred thousand misdemeanor offenders to probation ...