Administrative Office of the Courts
The Fee Trap: Court costs and fines put burden on those least able to pay
During a lunch break last May, Kevin Jackson was driving in Northport when a car in front of him collided with another vehicle. Jackson, who said he was not involved in the collision, got pulled over by a police officer, who alleged that Jackson was fleeing the scene. “I was on my lunch break, and […]
In Alabama veterans courts, a focus on rehabilitation, not punishment
Nathan Shack said his turning point came in May 2021, on his daughter’s birthday. She was four years old that day, and Shack spent several hectic hours preparing for her party. To cope with the stress, he smoked marijuana, as he had since he was a teenager. “It took all the problems away,” Shack said. […]