Illinois Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

What Is Wrong with Monetary Sanctions? Directions for Policy, Practice, and Research

Monetary sanctions are an increasing form of punishment for criminal offenses that have generated billions of dollars in revenue while also generating massive amounts of penal debt for low-income individuals. …

Elimination of Cash Bail In Illinois: Financial Impact Analysis

As of January 2023, Illinois courts can longer require cash bail for criminal defendants. Previously, courts would deduct fines, fees, and assessments from bond payments and retain 10 percent of …

IL HB3653

This bill ends the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid automated speed and red light camera tickets. The bill also requires the Secretary of State to rescind license holds …

Layaway Freedom: Coercive Financialization in the Criminal Legal System

Using data from courtroom observations and interviews with court actors and people paying their court debt in Illinois, the authors study financialization in the criminal legal system, including the practice …

The Broad Scope and Variation of Monetary Sanctions: Evidence from Eight States

This study describes the findings from the Multi-state study of Monetary Sanctions, examining the systems of monetary sanctions operating in California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Texas and Washington. …

Pocketbook Policing: How race shapes municipal reliance on punitive fines and fees in the Chicago suburbs

Using data from Chicagoland's suburbs, the authors explain why Black suburban municipalities are driven to rely on fines and fees to address budget shortfalls unlike officials of suburbs with different racial make-ups.

Court Costs, Fines, And Fees Are Bad Policy- Recommendations For Illinois Legislators

This policy brief discusses the history and issues of court fines and fees nationally and specifically in Illinois.

On Thin Ice: Bureaucratic Processes of Monetary Sanctions and Job Insecurity

This article shows how court debt collection practices affect employment opportunities based on research conducted in Illinois and Washington State.

Chicago Ordinance O2019-5547: Regarding wheel tax license fees, violation fines and payment plans

This resolution ends driver’s license suspensions for unpaid parking tickets in Chicago, restructures payment plans, reduces the late penalty for city sticker tickets, and reinstates a 15-day grace period after stickers expire. The reform is expected to produce as much as half a billion dollars in debt relief.

Fulton et al v. City of Chicago

Plaintiff alleges that the City of Chicago ignored the automatic stay protection under the Bankruptcy Code. The City impounded Mr. Fulton’s car because he had unpaid fines and fees, and informed him that the vehicle would only be returned when the court debt was paid. Mr. Fulton declared bankruptcy, and the automatic stay provision required that vehicles be returned to debtors who file for bankruptcy. The City argued that impoundment as a deterrence helped to enforce traffic regulations. Debtors argued that the City was more concerned with revenue collection than public safety.