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Category: Project

Description: Prior to 2018, the DC Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) refused services (such as driver’s licenses and vehicle registration) to individuals who owed traffic tickets or other DMV-related fines over $100. Realizing the far-reaching effects of this policy, the Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizen Affairs (MORCA) implemented a pilot program called the “Pathways Initiative” to help residents returning from jail or prison obtain driver’s licenses, despite outstanding DC ticket debt. We designed a study to test whether encouraging participation in the Pathways Initiative impacted recidivism, employment, and debt repayment. The study was discontinued due to implementation challenges, and at the same time, new legislation ended license suspensions due to unpaid tickets.