Towed Into Debt: How Towing Practices in California Punish Poor People
This report shows the circumstances that lead to a person having their car towed and the consequences that follow in different counties across California.
A large-scale analysis of racial disparities in police stops across the United States
To assess racial disparities in police interactions with the public, researchers compiled and analyzed a dataset detailing nearly 100 million municipal and state patrol traffic stops conducted in dozens of jurisdictions across the country.
Texas House Bill 2048: Repeal of the Driver Responsibility Program.
This bill repeals the Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) and all associated fees. The DRP contributed significantly to driver’s license suspension for unpaid fines and fees in Texas.
Timbs v. Indiana
Petitioner used life insurance proceeds to purchase a Land Rover for $41,558.30. He used the vehicle to transport heroin worth a total of $385. He was arrested and his vehicle was seized. Petitioner argued that the forfeiture was excessive in violation of the Eight Amendment’s excessive fines clause.
Maryland Senate Bill 823: Juvenile Proceedings – Fines, Fees, and Costs.
Maryland SB 823 would eliminate juvenile justice system fines and fees. Specifically, the bill would eliminate court fees and support costs for the detention and/or treatment of youth, and abolish fines imposed on youth and their families.
State of Phone Justice: Local jails, state prisons and private phone providers
This policy brief from the Prison Policy Initiative provides an overview of prison and jail phone call fees and makes several recommendations to reform them.
(Color)blind Reform: How ability-to-pay determinations are inadequate to transform a racialized system of penal debt
This law review article argues that fines and fees reformers’ emphasis on instituting ability-to-pay determinations without any reductions in racially discriminatory ticketing may cause more harm than good. In particular, the author articulates a concern that ability-to-pay determinations risk legitimizing the existing system of monetary sanctions and entrenching damages inflicted upon people deemed ‘able to pay.’
Prison Phone Justice: Intrastate Collect Prison Phone Rates [Map]
The Campaign for Prison Phone Justice maintains a website tracking the cost of phone calls from prisons in all U.S. states as well as the sum of kickbacks that families of incarcerated people have paid to relevant corrections agencies nationwide.
Report of Statewide Collection of Court-Ordered Debt for 2017-18
This report profiles the collection of unpaid court-ordered fines and fees during the 2017-18 fiscal year in California.
Alameda County Administrative Code Section 2.42.190 (Amendment): Prohibiting assessment and collection of fees for adult probation services; fees collected by Public Defender’s Office; fees for Sheriff’s Office Work Alternative Program
This ordinance eliminates criminal justice administrative fees charged by Alameda County, California. In particular, it eliminates county-imposed probation fees, public defender fees, and fees associated with the Sheriff’s Office Work Alternative Program.