ILF: Around the world, criminal justice systems disproportionately penalize people who are poor, including through fines and fees. On May 15, 2024 on the sidelines of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the ILF hosted an event exploring the criminalization of poverty. Moderated by the ILF’s Leah Conklin, panelists Christopher Smith, U.S. Department of Justice; Erin McKey, Department of Justice, Canada; Mythri Jayaraman, The ILF; and Anika Holterhof, UNODC spoke about the global, and deeply imbedded nature of discrimination in criminal justice systems and its impact on equal access to justice.

Panelists highlighted the intersections between poverty and other marginalized identities and the outsized negative impacts of fines and fees on marginalized communities. They discussed the inefficiencies and unreliability of fines and fees as a source of justice system revenue. Panelists shared reforms and solutions being implemented including disaggregated data collection and impact assessments on specific populations, ability to pay hearings, the provision of quality legal aid services, alternative penalties like reasonable and fair community service, and the elimination of fines and fees altogether.