A report from a local new affiliate highlights a little known legal practice in Alabama.
Rhonda Faye Mitchell was released from prison earlier this year and has been trying to move on with her life. She works two housekeeping jobs in Montgomery, about 60 hours a week, but has to ride her bike, walk or pay a cab to get there.
Mitchell doesn’t yet have a driver’s license because there’s a Failure to Appear (FTA) warrant for her arrest that was issued more than a decade ago for an unresolved traffic ticket.
If a failure to appear warrant is issued, in Alabama, the court clerks notifies the Department of Public Safety (DPS). DPS will suspend that person’s driver’s license. FTA warrants will be issued for instance in Mitchell’s case where she was incarcerated from another case.