California Archives - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors: Discontinuing Collection of Outstanding Juvenile Detention Fees

This legislation discharges all outstanding debt owed by families on behalf of justice-involved youth and mandates that the county inform all affected parents and guardians that they should cease payment as soon as possible. The total amount of debt discharged was over $89 million.

Personal Narratives: James Brooks

James Brooks paid Leaders in Community Alternatives, a private probation company, $1,629 for 58 days to avoid jail and to continue to be able to care for his ill mother.

Edwards v. Leaders in Community Alternatives

Alameda County contracts with Leaders in Community Alternatives (LCA) to provide court-ordered GPS tracking and alcohol monitoring devices for people on pre-trial or home detention. Although LCA is supposed to charge fees on a sliding scale based on a person’s ability to pay, LCA does not adjust its fees based on a person’s actual financial circumstances and never informs people that reduced fees are available.

Criminal Justice Administrative Fees: High Pain for People, Low Gain for Government. A Call to Action for California Counties.

In 2017, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, Financial Justice Project, and Mayor’s Office of Budget and Public Policy studied the collateral consequences of criminal justice administrative fees on San Franciscans. Their findings were published in this report, which also coincides with 2018 San Francisco County legislation that abolished all discretionary fees imposed by the county.

How Prosecutors Score a Windfall Turning Small Tickets into Big Fees

Since 2010, dozens of cities in California have hired a private law firm to prosecute people on the city’s behalf for municipal code violation and in civil forfeiture cases.

California AB-2495: Prosecuting attorneys: charging defendants for the prosecution costs of criminal violations of local ordinances.

California’s legislature moved to prohibit the state, cities and counties from charging defendants prosecution fees, including attorney’s fees, unless specifically authorized by state law.

Morales v. The City of Indio

This complaint alleges that the cities of Indio and Coachella outsourced the prosecution of some municipal code violations to a private law firm, Silver and Wright LLP.

San Francisco County Ordinance No. 131-18: Administrative Code – Criminal Justice System Fees and Penalties

This ordinance abolishes all discretionary fees imposed by San Francisco County.

California AB 103 – Public Safety Omnibus (Budget Trailer Bill – Ends Driver’s License Suspension for Unpaid Fines and Fees)

California’s 2017 omnibus budget bill included a provision that ends the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for failure to pay fines and fees.

San Francisco Fines & Fees Task Force: Initial Findings and Recommendations

In late 2016, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors directed the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector to create a Fines and Fees Task Force (staffed by the Treasurer’s Financial Justice Project) to study the impact of fines and fees on San Franciscans & propose relevant reforms. About six months later, the Task Force published this initial report in order to provide an overview of fines and fees in San Francisco as well as an array of reform recommendations.