Research Archives - Page 31 of 42 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Legal Financial Obligations in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s use of legal financial obligations (LFOs) as a revenue mechanism is a long-established practice. The state enacted its first surcharge in 1977, and the number has grown significantly since. …

Criminal Justice Debt in the South: A Primer for the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt

Criminal justice debt places a h eavy burden on low-income families, often making it harder for those who owe to earn a living, trapping them and their families in poverty. …

New York Should Re-examine Mandatory Court Fees Imposed on Individuals Convicted of Criminal Offenses and Violations

This report examines the current status of mandatory surcharges in New York, describes the impact of the surcharges on indigent defendants, and proposes legislative changes, including the elimination of the surcharges.

Speed Trap or Poverty Trap? Fines, Fees, and Financial Wellbeing

Steven Mello’s research paper investigates the effects of traffic fines on financial wellbeing by studying the correlation between Florida traffic citation records (between 2011 and 2015) and credit reports and payroll data of ticketed drivers.

Changing Course: Driver’s License Suspension in Florida

This policy brief explains some of the justifications for Florida’s practice of suspending driver’s licenses and explores the consequences of that practice—driver’s license suspension disproportionately burdens low-income individuals and has …

Pay or Prey: How the Alameda County criminal justice system extracts wealth from marginalized communities

This whitepaper uses evidence-based research and personal narratives to examine the harms caused by Alameda County criminal legal fees.

UNDER PRESSURE: How fines and fees hurt people, undermine public safety, and drive Alabama’s racial wealth divide

This report examines in detail the collateral consequences of Alabama’s court debt system and explores the ways in which it undermines public safety and drives the state’s racial wealth divide.

Kansas Supreme Court: Ad Hoc Committee Report on Bonding Practices, Fines and Fees in Municipal Courts

This report was published by the Kansas Supreme Court following a rigorous assessment of Kansas municipal court practices. It advances 18 recommendations for judges and courts to more fairly and constitutionally impose and enforce fines and fees and outlines an implementation plan for reform.

To Serve and Collect: The Fiscal and Racial Determinants of Law Enforcement

The authors’ completed model predicts that when a local government is experiencing a fiscal crisis, local police departments will increase arrests for “offenses that carry fines or the opportunity to forfeit assets.”

No More Shackles: Why We Must End the Use of Electronic Monitors for People On Parole

Conditions for individuals on parole have grown more stringent with the addition of electronic monitoring. Electronic monitoring is seen as an alternative form of incarceration, but the deprivation of liberty …