After advocates protested that the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid court fines constituted a criminalization of poverty, the state of Mississippi has ended the practice as of the first of the year.
Kosciusko Municipal Judge L. Scott Pickle said the move removes a tool from law enforcement and will likely also lead to more work for the court system, with more hearings needed to collect fines.
“That was a routine thing all the courts in the state were using to get people to pay their fines. That was a great tool for us and now it’s gone,” he said in an interview last week.
“Having a driver’s license is now a right, not a privilege,” said the judge.
The state will begin reinstating licenses and will waive the typical $100 reinstatement fee.
Letters will be sent to those eligible for reinstatement, and drivers are being urged to avoid driving until notification is received.
