Racial Disparities in Use of Force at Traffic Stops
Millions of traffic stops occur nationwide for reasons unrelated to safety. Officers not only use traffic stops as a pretext to conduct a search or investigate for other crimes but …
Redesigning Public Safety: Substance Use
Many people who use drugs are also involved in the criminal legal system and have to pay fines and fees. Fines are often used to deter and punish drug use, …
Locked In, Priced Out
Prison commissaries nationwide are inconsistent in their pricing. The Appeal underwent a nine-month investigation to collect commissary prices and markups from 46 states and created the first national database of …
In Debt Due to Your Own Arrest? The Truth About Fines & Fees
NowThis, in collaboration with Galaxy Gives and Reform Alliance, created a short video detailing how Americans face criminal justice debt. Americans face millions of dollars of debt each year from …
Priced Out: A 50-State Survey of How Diversion Fees Create Unequal Justice
The Fines and Fees Justice Center examined legislative authorization and statewide court rules in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine whether statutory provisions explicitly authorize or permit diversion program fees and, if so, whether they establish guidance or limits on what may be charged.
Consumer Debt Litigation Index
The Consumer Debt Litigation Index, developed by the National Center for Access to Justice (NCAJ), evaluates how well each U.S. state and the District of Columbia protects consumers facing debt …
The Cost of Juvenile Probation: A Critical Look into Juvenile Supervision Fees
Probation is the most common disposition for a child to receive, with more than 200,000 children placed on probation each year. In courts across the country, children and their families …
Prison disciplinary fines only further impoverish incarcerated people and families
At least one third of prison systems in the United States charge fines as punishment for a rule violation. The issuance of fines and fees for rules violations do not …
A Matter of Time: The Case For Shortening Criminal Debt Collection Statutes of Limitations, A 50-State Survey
Legal financial obligations (LFO) can trap people in poverty and the legal system. When reducing the amount of debt people owe is not a viable option, reducing the length of …
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 …