

Failure to Pay: The Use of Debt-Based Carceral Sanctions and Warrants in Wisconsin's Municipal Courts
Our report unveils the scope of carceral debt collection practices in Wisconsin’s municipal courts.
Municipal courts in Wisconsin, which do not enforce criminal penalties, have gone so far as to order the arrest and jailing of people who fail to pay their municipal tickets or fall behind on their payments, in addition to other debt-based sanctions.
The issuance of these types of sanctions create a two-tiered system of punishment: one for those with financial means and one for those without.
Read or download Failure to Pay below.
Related Issues
Documents
Related content


ACLU of Wisconsin Calls On Milwaukee County Sheriff to Decline...
June 24, 2025
Religious Freedom in Milwaukee County Jail and CRC
June 6, 2025
AB 292/SB 295: Artificial Intelligence Court Interpreters
May 30, 2025
Community Control Over Police Surveillance
May 6, 2025
Statement from the Filmmakers of CYCLE and ACLU Wisconsin
May 6, 2025
The ‘Cycle’ Continues
May 5, 2025
AB 148/SB 147: Phone/Video Court Interpreters
April 29, 2025