Driving for Opportunity Act of 2021
The act permits the Attorney General to make grants to states in order to cover the costs of reinstating driver’s licenses previously suspended for unpaid fines and fees. The bill …
Seattle receives national recognition for preventing crashes with lower speed limits
The Seattle Department of Transportation recently reduced speed limits to 25 mph, resulting in a 22 percent decrease in crashes. In addition to reducing speed limits, the city increased speed …
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 …
Traffic Tickets Plunged in Florida. It May Mean Painful Budget Cuts for Many Services
Florida’s dependence on fines and fees revenue has led to budget cuts for many services as traffic tickets have plunged since March 2020. Revenue from mostly traffic tickets helps pay …
Layaway Freedom: Coercive Financialization in the Criminal Legal System
Using data from courtroom observations and interviews with court actors and people paying their court debt in Illinois, the authors study financialization in the criminal legal system, including the practice …
Imposition And Collection Of Fines, Costs, And Restitution In Pennsylvania Criminal Courts
This research shows how court fines, fees, and restitution affect public defender clients differently than private counsel clients in Pennsylvania criminal courts.
Fees, Fines and Criminal Justice In Tennessee: How It All Works and Why It Matters
In Tennessee, fines and fees are used as both a punishment and a way to fund the justice system and other specific services. This report details the fines and fees …
The Broad Scope and Variation of Monetary Sanctions: Evidence from Eight States
This study describes the findings from the Multi-state study of Monetary Sanctions, examining the systems of monetary sanctions operating in California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Texas and Washington. …
Fiscal Pressures, the Great Recession, and Monetary Sanctions in Washington Courts
Using data from all municipal and district courts in Washington between 2000 and 2014, where a fine, fee, cost, or other legal financial obligation (LFO) was imposed, the author analyzes …
Limited Justice: An Assessment of Access to and Quality of Juvenile Defense Counsel in Kansas
Over the course of a year, the National Juvenile Defender Center spent a year assessing Kansas’ juvenile defender system and delinquency courts. Through interviews, court observations and research, the authors …