National Archives - Page 7 of 21 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Small Fines And Fees, Large Impacts: Ability-To-Pay Hearings

Excessive fines and fees on low-income people threaten our criminal justice system and violate the Constitution’s Due Process and Excessive Fines Clauses. The Fourteenth and Eighth amendment requires courts to …

Forcing People To Pay For Being Locked Up Remains Common

Across all 50 states, states and municipalities charge children and adults for their incarceration. Some states sue incarcerated individuals for the total cost of incarceration, often ranging from $10,000 to …

Debt-Based License Suspensions: Drivers of Poverty and Incarceration

Jurisdictions nationwide suspend driver’s licenses for nonpayment of fines and fees unrelated to traffic safety. The suspensions pose significant challenges for the approximately 11 million Americans affected, particularly those in …

Estimating the Earnings Loss Associated With a Criminal Record and Suspended Driver’s License

Contact with the criminal legal system and sanctions such as driver’s license suspensions can result in limited employment opportunities and have lifelong impacts on a person’s potential earnings. To advance …

Who Pays: Measuring Differences In the Process of Repayment of LFOs

People unable to pay legal financial obligations (LFOs) are at risk of additional consequences for nonpayment – a risk likely driven by the local emphasis and reliance on fee and cost …

Sentenced to a Life of Debt: It Is Time for a Reassessment of How Bankruptcy Law Intersects with Fines and Fees to Keep People in Debt

Court debt has generally been excluded from the fresh start bankruptcy provides, despite the disproportionate and devastating impacts on those who cannot afford to pay. This article reviews the provisions …

Small Fines And Fees, Large Impacts: Ability-To-Pay Hearings

Forcing People To Pay For Being Locked Up Remains Common

Debt-Based License Suspensions: Drivers of Poverty and Incarceration

Estimating the Earnings Loss Associated With a Criminal Record and Suspended Driver’s License

Who Pays: Measuring Differences In the Process of Repayment of LFOs

Sentenced to a Life of Debt: It Is Time for a Reassessment of How Bankruptcy Law Intersects with Fines and Fees to Keep People in Debt

The New Due Process: Fairness in a Fee-Driven State

The High Cost of a Fresh Start: A State by State Analysis of Court Debt as a Bar to Record Clearing

Why We Need to Stop Suspending and Revoking Driver’s Licenses Due to Debt

Is There a Link Between Criminal Debt and Recidivism in Reentry?