Scanlon Requests DOJ Immediately Update and Release Juvenile Justice Fines and Fees Advisory Report
Washington,
May 18, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon today urged the Department of Justice to exercise greater leadership in addressing how our nation approaches juvenile rehabilitation and accountability. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Rep. Scanlon requests the DOJ immediately update and immediately reissue the 2017 Advisory for Recipients of Financial Assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice on Levying Fines and Fees on Juveniles. “The last ten years have been a watershed in how our nation approaches juvenile rehabilitation and accountability,” Rep. Scanlon wrote. “States across the country have recognized the many costs that the juvenile justice system unnecessarily imposes and have eliminated or reduced the burden fines and fees have on juveniles and their families. Yet the Department of Justice, once on the vanguard of this movement, has failed to reclaim its leadership role. The Department should strive to reduce the impact fines and fees have on juveniles. In pursuit of this goal, I ask you to update and immediately reissue the 2017 Advisory for Recipients of Financial Assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice on Levying Fines and Fees on Juveniles.” Rep. Scanlon continued, “Since the Advisory was issued, the evidence has become even more clear that fines and fees have a disparate impact on racial and ethnic minorities. In many instances, it costs jurisdictions more to levy and collect these fines and fees than the fines and fees bring in. States and localities have repealed some or all juvenile fines and fees on the premise that these measures generate little or no net revenue, undermine rehabilitation, and increase recidivism. The Department must move beyond its 2017 recommendations and urge states to abolish juvenile fines and fees.” “We designed our juvenile justice system to be rehabilitative. However, subjecting young people and their families to costly fines and fees impedes this ultimate goal. Updating and reissuing the 2017 Advisory would be a critical first step for the Department of Justice to reclaim the mantle of leadership and ensure that the juvenile justice system better helps young people reach their potential and become productive members of their communities,” Rep. Scanlon concluded. Find full text of the letter here. ### |
