Perhaps no area of government is more impactful to the health and safety of our citizens as criminal justice. It has been charged with the responsibility of maintaining order by enacting penalties for failure to uphold the law. It must effectively administer the management of justice from smaller misdemeanor infractions to truly heinous criminal acts – often on a limited budget.
The United States has a higher rate of incarceration than any other country worldwide, costing the criminal justice system approximately $182 billion each year. Couple that with the costs of daily operations, such as payroll or overhead, as well as shrinking budgets nationwide, and it’s not surprising these departments have been considered in crisis for the last decade. These circumstances are what make revenue generation and recovery efforts such an important part of our government ecosystem.
With little to no other choice, state and local governments have had to resort to increasing criminal fees and fines in order to properly fund crucial departments, like criminal justice. A negative spotlight was cast on this in the case of Ferguson Missouri when some suggested the city’s budget, which relied heavily on court revenue, was the cause of civil unrest. The spotlight on this city marked a shift in compliance requirements – further complicating operations for the courts.
In consideration of Ferguson, criminal justice systems must take extra care to ensure not only ethical practices for administration but also for the recuperation of the fines that provide their much-needed funding. This means finding conscientious collection partners, who understand the limitations of the regulations judicial districts face and can deliver service with the highest level of regard for the citizens of those districts.
Professional is an experienced collection partner that provides services for criminal justice systems across the country. It is our mission to provide top-level recovery in support of government systems without ostracizing the citizens they serve. To learn more about our ethical collection practices and respectful service values visit our Government page or download our white paper; Ethical and Compliant Court Collections.