For-Profit Probation Companies Exploit Poorest Americans
4,008 views · Published 20 February 2018 · 3:37 · Indexed 14 November 2026
Channel: Human Rights Watch · 2018 · News & Politics
The cost of private probation supervision disproportionately harms the poor, often criminalizing a person’s inability to pay their probation fees and court costs, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 81-page report, “‘Set up to Fail’: The Impact of Offender-Funded Private Probation on the Poor,” documents private probation company practices in Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. These states allow private companies to supervise probation for minor crimes, including misdemeanors and criminal traffic offenses. Individuals pay their probation fees directly to the company. But many courts fail to recognize that when an individual is living in poverty, the fees force them to sacrifice basic needs, such as food, housing, and transportation, to pay the probation company. When an individual cannot afford payments, they can face arrest, extended probation, or even prison.
More from this channel
-
1:58
Tibet Puts Human Rights in Spotlight
-
5:08
Tunisia Tries to Silence Human Rights Watch
-
3:08
Appeal from Human Rights Defender in Northeastern DR Congo to President Barack Obama
-
5:14
No Refuge: Migrants in Greece
-
13:25
US Should Sever Ties with Abusive Commanders
-
2:51
Youth Producing Change London 25-26 March, 2011
-
2:39
Sammy's Story: Voices for Palliative Care in Kenya
-
1:22
Russia - ACTING UP - Sergei Kovalev