Uniform Enforcement or Personalized Law? A Preliminary Examination of Parking Ticket Appeals in Chicago
VOLUME 93

Randall K. Johnson

This Article is one in a series of papers that sets the record straight about the type, quality, and quantity of information that U.S. cities may employ, so as to make more informed policy decisions. It does so, specifically, by examining information that is collected by the City of Chicago: in order to gauge the uniformity, as well as the relative cost effectiveness, of the parking ticket appeals process. The Article has six (VI) parts. Part I is the introduction, which sets the stage for a preliminary examination of the parking ticket appeals process in Chicago. Part II describes the applicable law. Part III explains this Article’s methodological approach, which employs percentage analysis to explain how parking tickets are distributed, how parking ticket appeals are distributed, and how frequently ticket recipients obtain relief in Chicago. Part IV outlines the Article’s findings and positive analysis, which includes the fact that more advantaged zip codes have higher administrative costs and lower error rates than disadvantaged zip codes. Part V contains its key normative recommendations. Part VI is the conclusion.

Full article available here.