Double Punishment: Philadelphia’s Practice of Charging Parents for their Child’s Incarceration Costs

Justice Lab’s report on Philadelphia’s practice of charging parents for the costs of incarcerating their child was released in November 2016. The report was produced by a team of students who had begun their research in January of that year.  The team has worked in collaboration with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, the Kenney Administration, and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

A City Council hearing, sponsored by Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, was held on March 3, 2017. Justice Lab student Wes Stevenson (Law ’17) and our client the Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project testified. That same day, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services announced that it would end the practice.