Welcome to FFJC’s digital library of resources related to fines and fees, also known as the Clearinghouse. Our repository of research and tools is curated and summarized by our Policy and Research team and includes key fines and fees research, litigation, legislation, policy analysis and guidance, and case studies. Use the search features below to find the information you need to drive reform.
E.g., ‘impacts of fines and fees’
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Debt Sentence: How Fines And Fees Hurt Working Families
This report shares the results of a national survey of over 5,600 adults to see how court-imposed fines and fees affect people across the country.
Debt Sentence: How Fines And Fees Hurt Working Families
State of Iowa v. Pagliai
State of Iowa v. Pagliai
Issue Holding Facts Ronald Pagliai was charged in four separate cases for shoplifting. As part of a single plea agreement to resolve the cases, Pagliai agreed to plead guilty in tw…
Ellinburg v. United States
Ellinburg v. United States
Issue Holding Background Court’s Reasoning Outcome The judgment of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit was reversed and the case remanded for further proceeding…
People v. Kopp
People v. Kopp
Issue Holding Background CA Supreme Court’s Reasoning Outcome The court ordered the judgment of the Court of Appeal reversed with directions to remand the matter to the superior co…
McGrath v. Suffolk County
McGrath v. Suffolk County
Issue Whether Suffolk County’s imposition of administrative fees on red light camera violations exceeding the state statutory cap of $50 per violation (or $75 with a late fee…
City of Grants Pass v. Johnson
City of Grants Pass v. Johnson
Issue Does the Eighth Amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause prohibit municipalities from enforcing generally applicable laws regulating sleeping and camping on public pro…
State v. Gibbons
State v. Gibbons
Issue 1. Whether a law that imposed a $5,000 mandatory minimum fine without regard to the defendant’s ability to pay, is facially unconstitutional under the Excessive Fines Clause…
Fant et al. v. City of Ferguson
Fant et al. v. City of Ferguson
Case No. 4-15-CV-00253-AGF| Settled February 27, 2024 Claims at Issue: In a class action complaint filed on February 8, 2015, the plaintiffs, nine class representatives who had bee…
Post-Ferguson Class Action Suits Challenging Fine and Fee Schemes in Missouri
Post-Ferguson Class Action Suits Challenging Fine and Fee Schemes in Missouri
Post-Ferguson Class Action Suits Challenging Fine and Fee Schemes in Missouri In 2014, when a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri shot and killed Michael Brown, the City of Ferg…
Rosa v. Doe
Rosa v. Doe
Rosa v. Doe No. 21-2628, Nov. 20, 2023; WL 8009400 (2d Cir. 2023) Holding When assessing whether an incarcerated person qualifies for a waiver of filing fees in a federal civil rig…
City of Whitefish v. Curran
City of Whitefish v. Curran
Issues 1. Can a court impose a fine on someone with a demonstrated inability to pay? 2. Is it an abuse of discretion to fail to offer alternatives to a fine when the statute allows…