RT Article
T1 The Road to Debtors’ Probation: How Criminalizing Traffic Violations Increases State Control and Inequality in Georgia
JF Criminal justice and behavior
VO 52
IS 11
SP 1682
OP 1698
A1 Martin, Brittany T.
A1 Sanchez, Amairini
A1 Giuffre, Andrea
A2 Sanchez, Amairini
A2 Giuffre, Andrea
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1936328038
AB Research highlights the role of misdemeanors in expanding the reach of the U.S. criminal legal system. However, less is known about the implications of criminalizing traffic offenses. This study investigates the consequences of categorizing traffic violations as criminal in Georgia and the legal financial obligations imposed by courts. We triangulate data from 60 interviews and 120 hr of court observations across six jurisdictions in Georgia using a two-phased inductive-deductive coding approach. We find that Georgia’s misdemeanor traffic courts rely heavily on probation as a payment mechanism, often imposing additional fees and prolonged surveillance on individuals unable to pay fines upfront. This system amplifies financial burdens, increases incarceration risks, and varies significantly across jurisdictions, functioning as a net-widening tool that deepens individuals’ entanglement with the criminal legal system. We recommend restructuring “pay-only” probation and echo calls for more robust procedures to assess individuals’ capacity to pay.
K1 Privatization
K1 criminal legal policy
K1 Probation
K1 legal financial obligations
K1 misdemeanor traffic offenses
DO 10.1177/00938548251353743