Low-income families burdened by court-imposed financial penalties often turn to high cost predatory services or forgo basic needs to avoid further legal consequences for nonpayment. In 2021, the Child Tax …
Over $2 billion of unpaid penalties from a six-year period is due to New York City. The Independent Budget Office (IBO) calculated the total amount of unpaid fines and charges …
Inequitable infrastructure investment has created mobility obstacles and racially discriminatory policing in transportation for Black Americans and people of color. Although more than half of the nation’s most dangerous streets …
Text-based electronic messaging or “e-massaging,” not to be confused with emailing, has exploded in the past decade. At least 43 state prison systems and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) …
Low-income people in New Mexico accused of minor crimes are often caught in a vicious cycle where they are jailed because they can’t afford to pay monetary sanctions. In 2018, …
Introduction If you’re a hard-working, safe driver who’s struggling to make a fine or fee payment, Florida can take your license and, with it, your ability to drive and work. …
Introduction Every young person who comes into contact with Florida’s courts — regardless of guilt or innocence — is saddled with fees. Florida law authorizes 31 different court fees, costs …
Between 2016 and 2021, more than 400 unarmed people were killed by police during traffic stops. In addition, metropolitan areas that rely more on revenue from fines and fees experience …
FFJC took a mixed-methods research approach to understand the burden of fines and fees on economically vulnerable New Mexicans. FFJC New Mexico, in partnership with the New Mexico Advisory Board on Fines and Fees and ACLU New Mexico, administered a state-wide survey to gather data on New Mexicans’ experiences with court debt and the state’s criminal fine and fee system.