California Archives - Page 5 of 9 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Advancing Financial Justice in San Francisco: The Experience and Lessons of the City’s Financial Justice Project

This paper summarizes the lessons, successes, and challenges of the San Francisco Financial Justice Project, especially concerning criminal justice fines and fees reform.

Driving Toward Justice: How ending driver’s license suspensions for unpaid traffic tickets helps communities without impacting court collections

This brief describes reforms that were implemented after the San Francisco Superior Court’s decision to eliminate debt-based driver’s license suspensions.

Motion Eliminating Los Angeles County Criminal System Administrative Fees

This motion ends the imposition and collection of all discretionary criminal legal fees collected by Los Angeles County and discharges all outstanding debts.

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.

Monetary Sanctions: Legal Financial Obligations in US Systems of Justice

This review provides a historical background of court fines and fees and shows how these costs affect people present day.

Taxation by Citation? Exploring Local Governments’ Revenue Motive for Traffic Fines

In 1977 California counties received 74 percent of their own-source general funds from property tax, but after Proposition 13, counties’ property tax decreased by over 50 percent. Since the passage …

Costs of Injustice: How Criminal System Fees Are Hurting Los Angeles County Families

This report shares the life experiences of Los Angeles County residents to illustrate how criminal justice fines and fees assessed by the County can be overly burdensome and punitive.

Work, Pay, or Go to Jail: Court-Ordered Community Service In Los Angeles

This report provides the findings from the first in-depth study of a large-scale court-ordered community service system in modern-day America. The authors examined the experiences of about 5,000 people who were ordered to perform community service by the Los Angeles Superior Court between 2013 and 2014.

Contra Costa County Resolution No. 2019/522: Moratorium on the assessment and collection of certain adult criminal justice fees.

This resolution imposes an indefinite moratorium on the assessment and collection of certain criminal justice administrative fees charged by Contra Costa County, California. Specifically, the resolution addresses probation fees (including drug testing fees), public defender fees, and alternatives to incarceration such as electronic monitoring and work programs.

People v. Evans

Given the significant differences in purpose and effect between victim restitution and the fines and fees at issue in Dueñas, the rule of Dueñas does not extend to victim restitution and a defendant’s ability to pay is not a proper factor to consider in setting a victim restitution award.