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The Debt I Owe: Consequences of Criminal-Legal Debt in Metro Atlanta

Pizarro, Daniel A.
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Abstract

Neoliberalism alters U.S. carceral practices to extract revenue from marginalized communities. The criminal-legal system made monetary sanctions (e.g., cash bail, traffic fines, probation fees) a common practice that affects the millions of people who cycle through the system. I argue that criminal-legal debt extends punishment outside of carceral structures and creates a “revolving door” effect in which poor, racialized communities are subjected to constant incarceration. Domestic violence cases in Atlanta are a prime example of this phenomenon and illustrates the ways in which incarceration aids neoliberalism. The over policing of minority communities, and by extension the imposition of monetary sanctions, in metro-Atlanta serves to generate revenue and gentrify those neighborhoods. Through a prison abolitionist lens, this research explores the impact of criminal-legal debt in metro-Atlanta through autoethnography, interviews, and online participant observation of court.

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Date
2023-05-01
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Research Projects
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Keywords
Criminal-legal debt, Domestic violence, Metro Atlanta, Policing, Prison industrial complex abolition, and Urban Renewal
Citation
Pizarro, Daniel A.. 2023. "The Debt I Owe: Consequences of Criminal-Legal Debt in Metro Atlanta." Georgia State University. https://doi.org/10.57709/33098244
Embargo Lift Date
2023-01-10
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