State Debt-Based Driver’s License Suspension Laws
Depending on the state’s statute, a driver can lose their license for unpaid amounts arising from criminal fines or fees, civil fines or fees, child support, taxes, tolls, or a …
State Debt-Based Car Registration Suspension Laws
Each state has a law permitting the nonrenewal or cancellation of a car registration for nonpayment of a debt to the state or arising from a state-controlled system. Because every …
Auto-Jubilee: A Case for Massive Automatic Driver’s License Restoration for Debtor-Suspendees
Driver’s license suspension is increasingly employed as a punitive measure for non-driving offenses such as failure to appear or failure to comply with court orders, including orders to pay fines …
Police Killings and Municipal Reliance on Fine-and-Fee Revenue
Between 2016 and 2021, more than 400 unarmed people were killed by police during traffic stops. In addition, metropolitan areas that rely more on revenue from fines and fees experience …
Fines and Fees: Consequences and Opportunities for Reform
The utilization of fines and fees in the criminal legal system for revenue generation raises substantial questions regarding equity and may create perverse incentives for government entities dependent on the …
Local Governments Collected $9 Billion in Fines And Fees in 2020
The use of fines and fees to generate revenue can be exploitative and a conflict of interest when relied on as an essential source of revenue. Using data from the …
The Cost of Parking: A Preliminary Analysis of Parking Tickets Data in Austin, Minneapolis, and Portland
Parking tickets can serve as an entry point to the criminal legal system when left unpaid, causing lifelong financial burdens. Additional consequences include suspended driver’s licenses, loss of voting rights, …
Broken Rules: Laws Meant to End Debtors’ Prisons are Failing Nebraskans
Nebraska law has safeguards that should prevent people from being incarcerated solely because they cannot afford a fee or fine. Some include statutes that require considering a person’s ability to …
Council on Policing Reforms and Race: Council Findings and Recommendations
The Council on Policing Reforms and Race released more than fifty recommendations to address policing and public safety. The Council is an independent, non-partisan initiative formed by the National Policing …
Community Supervision Part 1: Fees and Fines
Financial penalties can serve as a barrier to successful rehabilitation and reentry. In addition to fines and restitution, probationers and parolees can be assessed supervision fees, court fees, technology fees, …