Warrant Clinics and A Personal Warrant Story; and The Pretrial Justice Institute

Warrant Clinics and A Personal Story Of Being Arrested On A Warrant Warrants are issued when citizens do not show up for court dates or pay fines and fees related to traffic violations, codes violations and for fugitives from criminal prosecution. In some jurisdictions additional fines and fees are incurred when a warrant is issued. This is sometimes a devastating economic hit for those that are living paycheck to paycheck and often sends people to payday loan offices or leads to loss of a job or housing. Some jurisdictions have been holding warrant amnesty days where a citizen can come in and take care of any fines and fees they may owe without incurring new fines. Host Teresa Wilke talks with Jamee McClairen, a young woman from Leavenworth, KS, who experienced first hand the common problem of outstanding fines and warrants. Then Teresa speaks with Ronald Johnson, Municipal Court Judge and Rebecca Dietrick, Court Administrator for the City of Grandview MO, which has offered Warrant Amnesty days in the past, feels it works for the city and the citizen and plans to continue. The Pretrial Justice Institute The American system of bail is fundamentally incapable of doing the job we…