We are a group of Delawareans seeking to reform our legal system's court-imposed fines and fees, which too often lead to financial insecurity, loss of employment, and imprisonment. We believe that poverty is not a crime, and that when someone makes a mistake their wealth should not dictate the consequences they face. We further believe that government services should be funded through reliable tax revenue and not be subject to fluctuations based on our state's crime levels or conviction rates.
Our campaign was launched in the summer of 2019 under the auspices of Network Delaware. We initially met every other week in the basement of SsAM Episcopal Church and strategized on how to support a previously introduced fines and fees reform bill (SB39). None of us had ever worked on legislation before, but we came together over our shared vision of decriminalizing poverty. Our first couple years of work didn't result in legislative change, but we sometimes learn more from our failures than our successes.
When COVID brought an abrupt end to possible legislative progress in 2020, the campaign pivoted to advocating for and then disseminating information about a COVID-necessitated moratorium on arrest warrants (capiases) for failure to pay court fines and fees. The latter part of 2020 was spent pushing for better and bolder fines and fees draft legislation and priming the pump for strong community support. Eventually, the Campaign worked with stakeholders, legislators, and other community groups to pass legislation in 2022 and 2024, with hopefully more still in years to come. Today, the Campaign meets monthly, with subgroups meeting more often, and continues to advocate for a more just Delaware, in which everyone is treated equally under the law.
Read more about our successes to date.
Read about the solutions we are currently pursuing.
Find out how you can take action with our campaign!
