March 16, 2018 Lawsuits are currently challenging harsh criminal justice debt collection practices, including "debtors prisons" and automatic license suspensions. This webinar discussed litigation strategies and challenges when pursuing affirmative claims against harsh criminal justice debt collection practices, and will encourage participants to incorporate consumer and constitutional law insights in their work. Presenters: Claudia Wilner, [...]

March 1, 2018 The National Consumer Law Center and the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law Schools free webinar series on criminal justice debt continues this spring. Confronting Criminal Justice Debt focuses on the fines and fees imposed by the criminal justice system. This webinar series brings together leading attorneys, academics, and other advocates [...]

October 17, 2017 For criminal justice debtors, bankruptcy can be a powerful tool. It can eliminate the obligation to repay certain criminal justice debts or provide an orderly mechanism for repaying certain debts that cannot be discharged. Bankruptcy can also open the door to relief, such as expungement, record sealing, or restoration of a drivers [...]

October 10, 2017 Too often, individuals who owe criminal justice debt lack counsel who can help them navigate the system and avoid the severe penalties often imposed for nonpayment-from garnishment to suspension of a drivers license to incarceration. This webinar discussed the advocacy gap, ways in which civil attorneys could provide impactful representation, opportunities and [...]

October 4, 2017 Americas justice system is increasingly financed by the imposition of heavy fines, fees, and costs on individuals accused of crimes and civil infractions. The costs are disproportionately born by the poor and people of color. This webinar will provide an overview of criminal justice debt as an urgent racial justice problem. It [...]