In April 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Office of Justice Programs, and Office for Access to Justice issued a revised Dear Colleague Letter, which detailed seven …
North Carolina law allows judges to order the conversion of financial obligations to civil judgments. Although doing this may protect justice-involved people from driver’s license suspensions, an extension of probation, …
The majority of states allow imprisonment as a direct result of failing to pay (FTP) court debt. This report presents findings from a three-state case study that sought to estimate the prevalence …
Beginning January 1st, 2014, Wisconsin imposed a $200 surcharge on misdemeanor defendants found guilty in the Milwaukee Circuit Court. This paper examines the economic impact of the mandatory surcharge and its …
Although probation is seen as an alternative to incarceration, it has become a driver of incarceration. Forty percent of people in the Allegheny County Jail are incarcerated because of probation …
Each state has an advisory committee on civil rights composed of members with diverse backgrounds, skills, and experiences that advise the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on civil rights issues …
This multi-state study assesses outcomes related to recidivism, employment, expenditures, mental well-being, and household spillovers. Researchers specifically analyzed how increasing the dollar amount of financial obligations imposed upon conviction across …
States surrounding Ohio have eliminated debt-based driver’s license suspensions in recent years, but Ohio continues to issue suspensions for failure to pay court debt. An investigation by Marshall Project–Cleveland and …
In Minnesota, being charged and convicted of a crime can lead to a number of consequences, including arrest, incarceration, or probation, in addition to the often less visible financial consequences. …
Some local jurisdictions are beginning to grapple with the social costs and individual harms associated with monetary sanctions and how they can become less reliant on them. This report clarifies …