Parham v. D.C.
Issue Starting in October of 2023, the District of Columbia will stop denying residents the ability to renew their driver’s license if they have outstanding debt to the city, including …
Assessments and Surcharges: A 50-State Survey of Supplemental Fees
Examining statutes and rules from all 50 states and D.C, this new report uncovers a system of hidden taxes that are assessed in nearly every criminal, traffic or local ordinance …
High-Frequency Location Data Shows That Race Affects The Likelihood of Being Stopped and Fined For Speeding
Prior research on race, speeding, and citations has focused on the effects of a driver’s race on the punishment received, never exploring whether race could also influence the probability of …
State of Washington v. Eyman
Issue Whether courts must consider a person’s ability to pay a fine when determining whether the fine is excessive under the Excessive Fines Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the …
Regressive Revenue Perpetuates Poverty: Why Georgia’s Fines and Fees Need Immediate Reform
More than 300 localities in Georgia use revenue from fines and fees to balance their budgets, and 20 percent do so at rates researchers consider high and abusive. Georgians who …
State Of Phone Justice 2022: The Problem, The Progress, and What’s Next
As a result of actions by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and efforts at the state and local level, prison and jail phone call fees have steadily reduced over the …
Reduction or Elimination of Costs and Fees Charged to Inmates in State Correctional Facilities
At the directive of bills from the Virginia Senate and House, the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) organized a work group to make recommendations regarding the reduction or elimination of …
Redesigning Public Safety: Traffic Safety
Traffic stops are the most common reason for contact with the police in the United States, burdening Black drivers who disproportionately experience harassment and racial profiling. Along with being subject …
Road to Nowhere: Debt-Related Driver’s License Suspensions in Ohio
Each year, over 1 million drivers in Ohio have a suspended license for failure to pay fines and fees. Using surveys, census data, and five years of debt-related suspension data …
Electronic Monitoring Fees: A 50-State Survey of the Costs Assessed to People on E-Supervision
This report examines statutes and rules from all 50 states and D.C. to determine whether their codes authorize fees for electronic monitoring at any point in the justice system and to what extent. It explores statutes related to both pretrial release and post-sentencing supervision, the fee amounts authorized, consequences for nonpayment and, to a limited extent, fees at the local level.