MILWAUKEE, WI – A recent ACLU of Wisconsin report on the municipal court process in the state charges the system criminalizes those in poverty and perpetuates racial inequality.
Dr. Emma Shakeshaft, ACLU of Wisconsin senior staff attorney and researcher, released the report, titled “Failure to Pay: The Use of Debt-Based Carceral Sanctions and Warrants in Wisconsin’s Municipal Courts.”
The report includes, notes the ACLU, detailed data, including the municipal court costs and how these costs contribute to poverty and racial inequality.
The report stated, “Municipal courts in Wisconsin, which do not enforce criminal penalties, have gone so far as to order the arrest and jailing of people who fail to pay their municipal tickets or fall behind on their payments, in addition to other debt-based sanctions. In 2023, municipal courts in Wisconsin collected a total of $35,128,718.”
People “able to pay a municipal court ticket can address the citation without ever having to step in court or think about the ticket again. People who cannot pay the citation amount in full experience increased court and law enforcement involvement and a long series of harmful consequences that create barriers to well-being, employment, and community involvement,” said Dr. Shakeshaft.
The ACLU report urged the municipal courts to put an end to the use of warrants and imprisonment when a person is not able to pay a municipal forfeiture.
