Group Cites Dodge City For Over Imprisonment

A federal lawsuit that’s part of a push by advocacy groups claims Dodge City imprisons people who can’t afford to pay bond fees.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, by Washington-based Equal Justice Under Law on behalf of Lawrence J. Martinez. The lawsuit says Dodge City seeks to jail poor residents who “cannot pay an arbitrary amount of money.”
Similar lawsuits were filed last week in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Missouri. All accuse court systems of ignoring U.S. Supreme Court decisions that say courts must determine whether people have the ability to pay fines before jailing them for nonpayment.