Probation company accused of racketeering

The city of Talladega, along with almost 100 other municipalities in Alabama, will soon receive a letter from the Southern Poverty Law Center encouraging them to sever ties with Judicial Correction Services, a private company collecting fines and managing probation from municipal court.

The SPLC in a release Wednesday said “A private, for-profit company that threatened impoverished people with jail when they couldn’t pay minor fines in Clanton is no longer working for the city,”. Clanton’s severing its ties to JCS settles an SPLC suit against the city filed in federal court earlier this year.

 “The SPLC is also urging other cities across Alabama to cancel contracts with the company,” the release continued. “In letters to nearly 100 municipalities, the SPLC warned that the contracts are illegal and the tactics they use to collect fines can amount to extortion.”  According to the SPLC, among the cities getting letters were Albertville, Arab, Crossville, Douglas, Fort Payne, Fyffe, Geraldine, Glencoe, Guntersville, Jacksonville, Ohatchee, Oneonta, Rainbow City and Southside.

As a result of the settlement announced Wednesday, Clanton was dropped from the suit, but claims against JCS of racketeering, extortion and abuse of process are still pending.

Sylacauga also severed ties with the company, and Talladega had discussed the issue as recently as Monday night. During the Monday meeting, three JCS representatives outlined several different circumstances in which their fees, the company’s source of income, could be waived.