Tools Archives - Page 4 of 12 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Financial Policies for Imposed Fines, Fees, and Asset Forfeitures: The Basis for Building Trust with the Public and Fair Treatment of All Citizens

Many local governments rely on imposed fines, fees, and forfeitures to raise revenue without a financial policy. Doing so can reduce citizens’ trust in government, have a disproportionate impact on …

COVID-19 Crisis: FFJC Policy Recommendations and Policy Tracker

FFJC has released a set of policy recommendations to help stem the harms of this ongoing public health and economic crisis. This page also tracks state and local fines and fees reform efforts undertaken in response to coronavirus.

COVID-19 Crisis: Advocacy Materials

FFJC is compiling advocacy materials for organizations and community members across America who are working toward fines and fees policy changes in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Below, you can …

Municipal Fines and Fees: A 50-State Survey of State Laws

This report, including an interactive map, provides a 50-state analysis of state laws that regulate municipal imposition and collection of fines and fees. The analysis is based on 52 factors, organized into 7 broad categories, that measure the extent to which state laws “prohibit, sustain, encourage or neutralize” municipal reliance on fines and fees.

The Explosion of Unpaid Criminal Fines and Fees in North Carolina

The amount of debt owed to North Carolina’s criminal courts has increased at a staggering rate. This report gives a scope of how much debt is uncollectible, identifies the people in the state most harmed by the current system, and pinpoints the case types that yield the lion’s share of this debt.

Ethical Obligations of Judges in Collecting Legal Financial Obligations and Other Debts

This opinion from the American Bar Association addresses the obligations judges have to assess ability to pay when collecting fines and fees.

In Trouble: How the Promise of Diversion Clashes With The Reality of Poverty, Addiction, And Structural Racism In Alabama’s Justice System

This Alabama Appleseed report stems from a survey of 1,011 justice-involved Alabamians. The author provides recommendations for lawmakers, programs, and courts to follow to improve the effectiveness and fairness of diversion.