Research Archives - Page 41 of 43 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Best Practices Guide to Reducing Suspended Drivers

This guide by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators discusses how suspending driver’s licenses for non-safety related reasons is ineffective and counter-productive: it diminishes the deterrent effect and perceived legitimacy of license suspension, as well as the efficacy of law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and motor vehicle agencies.

Shadow Citizens: Felony Disenfranchisement and The Criminalization of Debt

Many states infringe on individuals’ rights to vote; nearly 5.58 million Americans have lost the right to vote due to criminal convictions–many of them people of color and the poor. …

The Price To Call Home: State-Sanctioned Monopolization In The Prison Phone Industry

The monopolization of the prison phone industry has resulted in exorbitant prison phone call prices with companies promising to pay kickbacks to the state prison system in order to win …

Report on the Results of the Arizona Judiciary Pilot Collections Project

This Arizona collections pilot program aimed to test whether a temporary reduction in fine amounts might increase court revenues.

On Cash and Conviction: Monetary Sanctions as Misguided Policy

Legal financial obligations (LFO) used to supplement rather than replace other punishments, have resulted in legal debt for millions of mainly poor residents. In this paper, the authors argue that …

In For A Penny- The Rise of America’s New Debtors’ Prisons

This publication uses personal accounts of people in five different states who struggled to pay their court debt to illustrate the negative effects of debtors’ prisons on individuals, the economy, and the justice system.

Criminal Justice Debt: A Barrier to Reentry

This seminal report examines fines and fees practices in the fifteen U.S. states with the highest prison populations, focusing on “user fees” and their impact on individuals reentering society after incarceration.

Office of the New York State Comptroller: Report on the Justice Court Fund

This 2010 Justice Court Fund report from the New York State Comptroller details revenue trends in New York's local courts.

The Hidden Costs of Florida’s Criminal Justice Fees

This report examines the impact of the Florida Legislature’s decision to levy “user fees” on people accused and convicted of traffic violations, misdemeanors and felonies without providing exemptions for the indigent.

Political Economy at Any Speed: What Determines Traffic Citations?

Using data from traffic stops in 350 Massachusetts municipalities, the authors found that “the likelihood and dollar amounts of fines are decreasing functions of local property tax revenue”—in other words, the more cash-strapped a municipality is, the more likely police officers are to issue traffic tickets (and larger traffic tickets).