Pilots and Programs Archives - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Report to the Legislature: Online Infraction Adjudication and Ability-to-Pay Determinations

MyCitations was developed and is maintained by the Judicial Council of California as an online tool to allow individuals with infraction violations to request a reduction in their fines and …

Warrant Strategy

Managing old warrants aged anywhere from 5 to 25 years contributes to significant backlogs in the legal system. This report highlights Cook County’s strategic efforts to address a backlog of …

Ability to Pay: Closing the Access to Justice Gap with Policy Solutions for Unaffordable Fines and Fees

Financial circumstances heavily influence an individual’s access to justice, especially when it comes to the fines and fees imposed by the justice system. These costs contribute to a two-tiered justice …

Clearing The Road For Ohioans With Suspended Licenses: A Look At Ohio’s Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Program

For drivers in Ohio, there are over 30 offenses, with penalties ranging from $15 to $600, that may trigger a license suspension. The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) then …

People Over Profits: A Truly Free, No Cost Tablet Program for Incarcerated People in San Francisco

Tablets are often utilized in jails and prisons to generate revenue from incarcerated individuals and their families, with high costs for the tablets and access to services making them unaffordable …

Report to the Legislature: Online Infraction Adjudication and Ability-to-Pay Determinations

This report uses data from California courts that have adopted the MyCitations tool to evaluate the pilot program. As of January 1, 2023, over 66,000 ability-to-pay requests were submitted through …

Rethinking How Law Enforcement Is Deployed

To mitigate the risk of harm, municipalities have tasked non-law enforcement responders with addressing nonviolent social and medical issues and narrowed police discretion and duties in traffic enforcement. Many have …

Eliminating Discriminatory Fines and Fees: Learning from San Franscisco

In New York City, fines and fees provide the city with more than $2 billion in revenue each year. However, many of these fines and fees fall on lower income …

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 …

RI opens path for former inmates to break impoverishing cycle of court fees and fines

Many Rhode Islanders are saddled with debt after incarceration, making reentering into their communities difficult. After the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, Rhode Island’s Supreme Court Committee on Racial …