
CASTLEBERRY, ALABAMA
The Birmingham News recently investigated the tiny town of Brookside, Alabama, a place "with no traffic lights and one retail store [that] collected $487 in fines and forfeitures for every man, woman and child." Income from fines and forfeitures comprised a whopping 49 percent of the town's budget. Lawsuits allege that Brookside police officers made up charges to soak vehicle owners for thousands of dollars in fines.