Program

ACLS Digital Justice Development Grants, 2025

Project

Under False Pretenses: The Inequities of Tickets Issued in Error

Department

Criminology, Law, and Justice

Abstract

Tens of thousands of Chicagoans are issued parking tickets under false pretenses each year. Although these tickets impact virtually everyone, they devastate the already disadvantaged. Not only did our original project identify how one errored ticket results in bankruptcy every day, but these bankruptcies disproportionately impact Black and Latinx drivers. After reviewing nearly 3.6 million tickets between 2012-2018, the original project cross-referenced multiple sources of administrative data to identify more than 1-in-8 were issued when restrictions did not apply. In the proposed project, we will expand the dataset to 2024 and create an online platform. The platform will translate our results to broader audiences, disseminate actionable curriculum, and deliver resources to those impacted.