Reforming unjust fines and fees requires local solutions
Fines and fees have devastated the lives of millions of Americans, trapping many in a cycle of poverty and punishment; these impacts fall most heavily on low-income communities and communities of color. Recognizing the harms of fines and fees in their communities, many city and county leaders have chosen to reform their local fine and fee policies, ensuring they do not place a disproportionate burden on vulnerable communities.
These fine and fee reforms advance racial and economic equity and make a difference in the lives of residents by increasing economic prosperity while safely shrinking the criminal legal system.
About Cities and Counties for Fine and Fee Justice
Led by Results for America, the San Francisco Financial Justice Project, and the Fines and Fees Justice Center, Cities & Counties for Fine and Fee Justice (CCFFJ) is a national leadership network of local places committed to meaningful fines and fees reform that will make a positive difference in the lives of low-income residents.
Two cohorts of leaders have engaged with CCFFJ to enact bold fine and fee reforms in their jurisdictions. CCFFJ jurisdictions have enacted reforms to eliminate in-custody fees, court fees, and surcharges ended debt-based driver’s license suspensions, reduced parking fines, recalled and dismissed decades-old warrants, and reduced other fees that exceeded people’s ability to pay. Learn more about the reforms enacted and underway here:
2020-21: Inaugural CCFFJ Leadership Network Impact
2022-23: Second CCFFJ Leadership Network Impact
How Miami-Dade County Led on Local Fee Elimination
Beyond the Bars advocates and local policymakers from Miami-Dade discuss how they eliminated jail fees, jail phone call fees and wiped out $100 million in jail debt.
How Washtenaw County Led On Fine and Fee Reform
See how local leaders in Washtenaw County implemented a policy to eliminate over $2000 in court costs and attorney fees for individuals who qualify for assigned counsel.
Local Advocacy Resources
CCFFJ’s Roadmap to Bold and Equitable Fine and Fee Reform
Updated in 2024, CCFFJ’s Roadmap to Bold and Equitable Fine and Fee Reform is a resource for anyone interested in fine and fee reform, particularly leaders in cities and counties who are eager to address the widespread challenges presented by excessive fines and fees in their jurisdictions. Drawing from FFJC’s on-the-ground advocacy work and behind-the-scenes expertise, this guide provides local leaders with an outline of all the basic elements required to assess and reform fines and fees in their jurisdiction. This guide also includes a detailed list of the local fee elimination reforms. Read and download the full roadmap here.
Local Policy Guides To Help Cities and Counties Lead on Fines and Fees Reform
When harmful fines and fees policies are imposed at the local level, they require local solutions. To help localities pursue effective reforms, FFJC has released three local reform guides, each with a step-by-step process to assess specific fines and fees issues and implement corresponding reforms. See our policy guides on fee elimination, ending debt-based license suspensions, and eliminating the predatory costs of jail goods & services.
Coming up next
Sign up to our newsletter to learn more about our upcoming Ability to Pay Sprint in Spring 2025. Hosted by RFA and FFJC, this sprint will an intensive 6-12 week virtual workshop focused on learning how to implement court-level ability-to-pay processes. Stay tuned to our newsletter for more info!
About Cities & Counties for Fine and Fee Justice partners
The San Francisco Financial Justice Project is the nation’s first effort embedded in government to assess and reform fines, fees, and financial penalties that disproportionately impact low-income residents and communities of color. Working with community organizations, advocates, city and county departments, and courts, the Financial Justice Project has spearheaded the elimination or reduction of dozens of fines and fees and lifted millions of dollars in debt off of tens of thousands of local residents. The Project’s accomplishments are listed here, and here is a guide to available fine and fee discounts for San Francisco low-income residents.
The Fines and Fees Justice Center seeks to catalyze a movement to eliminate the fines and fees that distort justice. FFJC’s goal is to eliminate fees in the justice system and to ensure that fines are equitably imposed and enforced. FFJC provides resources, makes critical connections, offers strategic advice, and serves as a hub for the fines and fees reform movement, working with impacted communities, researchers, advocates, legislators, justice system stakeholders, and media all across America.
Results for America helps decision-makers at all levels of government harness the power of evidence and data to solve our world’s greatest challenges. Their mission is to make investing in what works the “new normal,” so that when policymakers make decisions, they start by seeking the best evidence and data available, and then use what they find to get better results.
Contact us
To learn more about Cities & Counties for Fine and Fee Justice and to learn of upcoming opportunities, contact us at ccffj@ffjc.us
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