Tools Archives - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Fact Sheet: Unpacking The Latest Fines and Fees Trends Across Georgia

In Georgia, local governments that rely heavily on fines and fees end up criminalizing residents who struggle to pay, with the burden falling hardest on communities with high poverty rates …

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Redesigning Public Safety: Substance Use

Many people who use drugs are also involved in the criminal legal system and have to pay fines and fees. Fines are often used to deter and punish drug use, …

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Locked Out: How DC Bans Workers with Unpaid Fines from More than 125 Jobs or Starting a Business, and What We Can Do About It

Under DC’s Clean Hands Law, residents can be automatically denied occupational and small business licenses if they owe the District more than $100 in unpaid fines, fees or taxes. This …

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The Ultimate Connecting Families Campaign Guide

Worth Rises is an advocacy organization working to dismantle the prison industry and end the exploitation of incarcerated people and their loved ones, and the lead organizer of the national …

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Ten Principles of A Public Defense Delivery System

In 2002, the American Bar Association (ABA) adopted ten principles for policymakers, public defense administrators, and other stakeholders to assess their jurisdictions’ compliance with best practices for providing effective indigent …

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Officials: Prison Inmates In Essex County Should Know About This Form

The Essex County Board of County Commissioners recently passed a resolution to help incarcerated people learn how to resolve outstanding court fines, warrants, and detainers while in prison. Before release, …

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Which Town and Village Courts Collect The Most Fines and Fees in NY And CNY?

According to the State Comptroller’s Office, in 2022, New York’s nearly 1,200 towns and villages collected $189 million in fines, fees, and surcharges from traffic tickets, penalties imposed in criminal …

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National Guide to Court Appearances

Missed court appearances are costly for both court systems and court users. Court users and their families may be assessed fines, arrested or serve jail time, while the system pays …

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United States Department of Justice “Dear Colleague” Letter (revised and updated)

On April 20, 2023 the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Office of Justice Programs, and Office for Access to Justice revised the 2016 Dear Colleague to include an updated discussion …

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Why the Bureau of Prisons’ Proposal to Seize Commissary Funds Must Be Withdrawn

In January 2023, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Prisons proposed a shocking amendment that would confiscate 75 percent of outside contributions to an incarcerated person’s commissary account to pay off …

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