Lawyers sue Oklahoma sheriffs over state's debt-collection system

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — A federal lawsuit filed Nov. 2 challenges the debt-collection system that jails poor Oklahomans for their inability to pay court fines and fees.

According to court documents, Aberdeen Enterprizes through a contract with the Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association engages in intimidation tactics to force impoverished Oklahomans to pay court fees they can't afford. The lawyers claim that when the plaintiffs were unable to pay, warrants were issued for their arrest and/or they were incarcerated for failure to pay the criminal court fines and costs.

Court documents also say the plaintiffs are victims of an extortion scheme in which the contracted company and the Oklahoma Sheriff's Association have conspired to extract as much money as possible from poor people through illegal action. The lawyers say the plaintiffs have no ability to pay court costs, and when they fall behind on payments the amount they owe is increased without notice by 30 percent and sent to Aberdeen, who collects the 30 percent for itself and the Sheriff's Association.

The plaintiffs and thousands of others in a similar situation in the state have lost housing, jobs, cars, sacrificed food and clothing for their children and diverted their low-income physical and mental disability checks in order to make the court payments.

Plaintiffs are suing sheriffs in all Oklahoma counties, and all of those names are listed as defendants in the court case. They say the process of jailing poor Oklahoma citizens for failing to pay court fines and fees creates an ugly cycle that forces the impoverished into a system they can't escape.