Scott F commented on Cars and Jails by Andrew Ross
Written in a lively, accessible fashion and drawing extensively on interviews with people who were …
This book is relentless in reminding you that driving a car is mandatory almost everywhere in America, and also what an absolute trap and money sink that is, especially for people involved in the criminal justice system.
One person the authors talked to had to make three separate two-hour bus trips to get their license renewed, because each time they had to queue for hours for various bureaucratic tasks, and then rush home before they were finished to make the checkin time at their court-mandated halfway house.
Others had to save and borrow thousands of dollars to pay off tickets, including tickets somehow levied against them while they were in prison due to identity theft or DMV error; easier to pay off than fight. As identity theft wrecked their credit scores, they had to pay high rates for car loans and insurance.
