New to Clearinghouse Archives - Page 15 of 17 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

The True Cost of Criminal Justice Debt: Examining the Public Health Implications of Legal Financial Obligations

Public health experts have identified criminal justice debt as a social and environmental factor impacting individuals’ and their families’ physical and mental health. Low-income individuals who are disproportionately represented in …

More Harm than Good: Building a more Just Fine and Fee System in California

Fines and fees push many low-income, Black, and Latinx California families into debt, cutting into their ability to meet basic needs. Researchers estimate that there is at least $10 billion …

Reducing Suspended Drivers and Alternative Reinstatement Best Practices Edition 3

At its inception, driver’s license suspension aimed to address poor driving behavior. However, its current use extends beyond highway safety concerns and encompasses non-highway safety obligations. Drivers can have their …

Set Up to Fail: How Court Fines & Fees Punish Poverty and Harm Black Communities in Virginia

Virginia’s courts impose millions of dollars of debt from fines and fees that excessively burden Black Virginians. Through an analysis of five years of data from the State Compensation Board …

Unveiling the Necrocapitalist Dimensions of the Shadow Carceral State: On Pay-to-Stay to Recoup the Cost of Incarceration

States and local jurisdictions across the United States impose pay-to-stay fees to generate revenue. Sociologist Brittany Friedman analyzes this practice using a necrocapitalism framework—a form of capitalism linked to death …

The Relationship Between Debt and Crime: A Systematic and Scoping Review

In a first of its kind, this study explores the relationship between debt and crime among adolescents and adults. The two-part study includes a systematic review of five studies that …

Local Government Dependence on Criminal Justice Revenue and Emerging Constraints

Across the nation, local governments use the criminal justice system to balance their budgets through fines, fees, costs, assessments, and forfeitures. Many have become dependent on criminal justice revenue to …

Debt, Incarceration, and Re-Entry: A Scoping Review

Justice-involved people and their families are heavily burdened by debt: legal financial obligations (LFO) from criminal justice involvement, pre-existing debt that compounded during incarceration, and debts accrued during reentry. This …

Overdue for Justice: An Assessment of Access to and Quality of Juvenile Defense Counsel in Michigan

Michigan’s constitution mandates that every young person receive legal representation, yet the state currently ranks 44th out of 50 in per capita indigent defense spending. The National Juvenile Defender Center …

The Crippling Costs of the Juvenile Justice System: A Legal and Policy Argument for Elimination Fines and Fees for Youth Offenders

Across the country, youth and their families, many in poverty, face monetary charges for their involvement in the juvenile justice system, and the consequences can be devastating. In this article, …