The Other Speed Trap
Nicole Bolden was driving in Florissant, Missouri, in 2014 with her two small children when a car in front of her made an illegal U-turn, causing a collision. Police arrived on the scene, and, after ensuring everyone’s safety, checked Bolden’s driver’s license. They returned to her damaged vehicle with news: She was under arrest for unpaid traffic fines and fees in three counties. Bolden spent the next three days in three separate county jails, paying each $125 bond by scraping together child-support money and help from family members. On the third day, she stood in front of a judge, facing $1,758 in fines and fees––starting with a single unpaid speeding ticket from years prior. Still unable to pay, she returned to jail for two weeks until her mother withdrew life-insurance funds to secure her release.
Bolden’s inability to pay that first speeding ticket cost her, her family, and the criminal-justice system far more money than the infraction merited. In many other countries, that ticket might have cost her the price of a sandwich.
Today, more than 30 European and Latin American countries levy penalties using an income-graduated, or “day fine,” model. Under this system, people who break the law pay a fine equivalent to a percentage of their income, rather than a flat fee. Finland, for example, has for the past century adjusted criminal fines based on offenders’ daily income. Depending on the severity of the offense, Finland metes out punishment according to how many days’ work it will cost you. You might lose half a day’s earnings for shoplifting, or a month’s earnings for driving while under the influence. Depending
