Pro Bono: Modern-Day Debtors’ Prisons

In partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Venable LLP, Brattle investigated the prevalence of poverty-related imprisonment arising from impoverished individuals’ inability to pay legal fines and fees.

In particular, our experts have conducted economic and statistical analyses to support ongoing reform efforts and assisted with a Lawyers’ Committee white paper titled Too Poor to Pay. Brattle also filed an expert report in a class action lawsuit on behalf of plaintiffs alleging that a judge violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Arkansas state law, and Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure.