Louisiana Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Paid in Full: A Plan to End Money Injustice in New Orleans

The Vera Institute’s “Paid in Full” report outlines a path towards fines and fees reform, summarizing relevant reform litigation and detailing specific steps that the city of New Orleans can take to reduce the harms of pre-trial and conviction fees.

Criminal Justice Debt in the South: A Primer for the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt

Criminal justice debt places a h eavy burden on low-income families, often making it harder for those who owe to earn a living, trapping them and their families in poverty. …

Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Standing Policy on Juvenile Administrative Fees

In the summer of 2018, New Orleans became the first city in the South to abolish fees charged to youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

Louisiana House Bill 249: Payment of fines, fees, costs, restitution, and other monetary obligations related to an offender’s conviction

Louisiana House Bill 249 protects people convicted of a felony and their dependents from facing undue hardship because of fines and fees.

$23,000 in traffic fines reduced to $9 for man as pilot program takes on New Orleans’ court system

In March 2017, New Orleans nonprofit Stand with Dignity sponsored a Warrant Clinic in New Orleans. Over 1,200 people (who owed an average of $8,000 in fines and fees) participated in the clinic.

Personal Narrative: Izell Mayes

Mayes’ traffic debt started back in 1989 when he got his first traffic ticket and couldn’t afford to pay it. He missed one court date after another and also racked up more traffic citations until his total traffic ticket debt was nearly $23,000.

Past Due: Examining the Costs and Consequences of Charging for Justice in New Orleans

This video discusses how New Orleans residents get trapped in the city’s court system because of their lack of financial means.

Past Due: Examining the Costs and Consequences of Charging for Justice in New Orleans

This report documents the amount New Orleans residents pay in bail, fines and fees, traces where the money goes, and calculates how much the city spends to jail people who cannot pay.

Roberts et al. v. Black et al.

Fifteen percent of the Bogalusa City Court’s revenue is derived from court fines and fees. Judge Black gives indigent defendants the options of jail for nonpayment of fines and fees or the payment of an illegal $50 extension fee to buy additional time to pay their court debt.

Personal Narrative: Rozzie Scott

Rozzie Scott, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana was found guilty of stealing $5 worth of food to feed his family. Judge Black ordered him to pay $450 in court fines and fees.