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Research Article
Open Access

On Thin Ice: Bureaucratic Processes of Monetary Sanctions and Job Insecurity

Michele Cadigan, Gabriela Kirk
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences March 2020, 6 (1) 113-131; DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2020.6.1.05
Michele Cadigan
aPhD candidate in sociology at the University of Washington
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Gabriela Kirk
bPhD candidate in sociology at Northwestern University
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Abstract

Research on court-imposed monetary sanctions has not yet fully examined the impact that processes used to manage court debt have on individuals’ lives. Drawing from both interviews and ethnographic data in Illinois and Washington State, we examine how the court’s management of justice-related debt affect labor market experiences. We conceptualize these managerial practices as procedural pressure points or mechanisms embedded within these processes that strain individuals’ ability to access and maintain stable employment. We find that, as a result, courts undermine their own goal of recouping costs and trap individuals in a cycle of court surveillance.

  • monetary sanctions
  • procedural hassle
  • court surveillance
  • poverty
  • employment
  • © 2020 Russell Sage Foundation. Cadigan, Michele, and Gabriela Kirk. 2020. “On Thin Ice: Bureaucratic Processes of Monetary Sanctions and Job Insecurity.” RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 6(1): 113–31. DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2020.6.1.05. The authors contributed equally to this article and are listed alphabetically. This research was funded by a grant from Arnold Ventures. The PI is Alexes Harris at the University of Washington. We thank Alexes Harris, Charles Camic, Sarah Quinn, and Mary Pattillo for feedback on earlier drafts; and the Multi-State Study of Monetary Sanctions research team, who contributed to the data collection process. Direct correspondence to: Michele Cadigan at mlcadig{at}uw.edu, 211 Savery Hall, Box 353340, Seattle, WA 98195; and Gabriela Kirk at gabrielakirk2022{at}u.northwestern.edu, Northwestern University, Department of Sociology, 1810 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL 60208.

Open Access Policy: RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences is an open access journal. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences: 6 (1)
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
Vol. 6, Issue 1
1 Mar 2020
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On Thin Ice: Bureaucratic Processes of Monetary Sanctions and Job Insecurity
Michele Cadigan, Gabriela Kirk
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences Mar 2020, 6 (1) 113-131; DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2020.6.1.05

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On Thin Ice: Bureaucratic Processes of Monetary Sanctions and Job Insecurity
Michele Cadigan, Gabriela Kirk
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences Mar 2020, 6 (1) 113-131; DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2020.6.1.05
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    • Abstract
    • COURT MANAGEMENT OF MONETARY SANCTIONS
    • MONETARY SANCTIONS AND EMPLOYMENT
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Keywords

  • monetary sanctions
  • procedural hassle
  • court surveillance
  • poverty
  • employment

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