50 State Survey: Probation and Parole Fees
A state-by-state look at the scope of probation and parole supervision fees, programming fees, and consequences for failure to pay.
Small Fines And Fees, Large Impacts: Ability-To-Pay Hearings
Excessive fines and fees on low-income people threaten our criminal justice system and violate the Constitution’s Due Process and Excessive Fines Clauses. The Fourteenth and Eighth amendment requires courts to …
North Carolina Court Appearance Project
In North Carolina, nonappearance for a court case can lead to driver’s license suspension, an order for arrest, and jail time. Nearly 250,000 court appearances are missed annually in North …
Debt-Based License Suspensions: Drivers of Poverty and Incarceration
Jurisdictions nationwide suspend driver’s licenses for nonpayment of fines and fees unrelated to traffic safety. The suspensions pose significant challenges for the approximately 11 million Americans affected, particularly those in …
Local Policy Guide: Fee Elimination and Debt Relief
This local policy guide gives local leaders a recommended process for eliminating fees via local legislation, budgetary processes and through the courts.
Local Policy Guide: Make Jail Phone Calls Free and Eliminate Commissions and Kickbacks on Commissary Items
This local policy guide gives local leaders three reform pathways for ensuring incarcerated people have access to basic needs and free communication.
How Corporations Turned Prison Tablets Into a Predatory Scheme
Tablets have become another commodity that predatory corporations use to price gouge incarcerated people. In 2017, JPay distributed free mini-tablets to the prison population in New York, providing access to …
Dreams Deferred: The Impact of Juvenile Fees on Florida’s Children, Families, and Future
This report outlines the catastrophic consequences of juvenile fee debt for Florida’s children, families, and economy including: increased poverty, increased recidivism, and the exacerbation of racial disparities in the justice system.
The Price of Justice: Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State
Utilizing survey responses from key stakeholders, the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission’s report gathers insights into the current landscape of policies and practices around legal financial obligations (LFO) and …
FFJC Policy Guidance: Eliminating Criminal Legal System Fees and Discharging Debt
Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC) presents policy guidance for local and state leaders on how to eliminate criminal legal fees and forgive debt.