National Archives - Page 3 of 21 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

The Drive to Jail: Why States Should Decriminalize Minor Traffic Offenses and Stop Using Bench Warrants to Enforce Traffic Laws

Minor traffic offenses should not be considered crimes. Yet, in 17 states, these minor violations are considered misdemeanors that could lead to immediate arrest and jail time for things like …

Gideon at 60: A Snapshot of State Public Defense Systems and Paths To System Reform

In 1963, Gideon v. Wainwright established the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel for indigent persons charged with felonies, which would later extend to misdemeanors and delinquency proceedings in juvenile court. …

Access to Justice Spotlight: Fines & Fees

In April 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Office of Justice Programs, and Office for Access to Justice issued a revised Dear Colleague Letter, which detailed seven …

Ten Principles of A Public Defense Delivery System

In 2002, the American Bar Association (ABA) adopted ten principles for policymakers, public defense administrators, and other stakeholders to assess their jurisdictions’ compliance with best practices for providing effective indigent …

Poverty Penalties as Human Rights Problems

Financial sanctions have led to widespread poverty penalties on low-income and vulnerable populations and are a domestic and international human rights concern. States disproportionately punish poor defendants when fines for …

Debt Sentence: How Fines And Fees Hurt Working Families

This report shares the results of a national survey of over 5,600 adults to see how court-imposed fines and fees affect people across the country.

People Over Profits: A Truly Free, No Cost Tablet Program for Incarcerated People in San Francisco

Tablets are often utilized in jails and prisons to generate revenue from incarcerated individuals and their families, with high costs for the tablets and access to services making them unaffordable …

National Guide to Court Appearances

Missed court appearances are costly for both court systems and court users. Court users and their families may be assessed fines, arrested or serve jail time, while the system pays …

Why Inflation Price Hikes Are Even Worse Behind Bars

The Marshall Project reviewed commissary prices from 26 state prison departments in 2022, finding that prices for food and hygiene products have soared across prisons due to the lack of …

Revenue, Race, and the Potential Unintended Consequences of Traffic Enforcement Reform

Highly publicized killings of people by law enforcement during traffic stops have led to a growing interest in traffic enforcement reform. While some see automated traffic enforcement and unarmed civilian …