Here in Illinois, if you want to return to the workforce after spending time in jail, a good step is usually to get your record sealed or expunged. That hides certain low-level crimes from most employers. The problem is, to do that, first you have to pay your court fees, and for many poor people in Illinois, those court fees are just too expensive. 

Morning Shift talks to WBEZ’s Miles Bryan about the problems court fees are causing for some Illinois residents. We also hear from Democratic State representative Elaine Nekritz. She was part of a public task force on court fees in Illinois this year.