Blood From a Turnip: Money as Punishment in Idaho
In 2019, the Idaho Legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) published a report acknowledging Idaho’s reliance on fines and fees as a source of court funding. According to the report …
News
Washington SB 5226: An Act Relating to the suspension of licenses for traffic infractions
Washington recently passed a bill ending driver’s license suspensions for failure to pay a monetary penalty, fee, cost, assessment, or other monetary obligation relating to a non criminal traffic infraction. You …
An Analysis of Citation Data from the City of Buffalo Speed Camera Program
In 2020, the City of Buffalo installed speed cameras in school zones around the city to reduce the number of crashes in areas where children are going to and from …
The Impact of Criminal Court and Prison Fines and Fees in Philadelphia
Over the course of the last year, Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) worked to pursue fine and fee reform as a member of the Cities and Counties …
Reducing Suspended Drivers and Alternative Reinstatement Best Practices Edition 3
At its inception, driver’s license suspension aimed to address poor driving behavior. However, its current use extends beyond highway safety concerns and encompasses non-highway safety obligations. Drivers can have their …
The Price of Poverty in North Carolina’s Juvenile Justice System
To better understand the role of poverty in shaping outcomes in North Carolina’s juvenile justice system, the authors conducted interviews and surveyed attorneys, social workers, scholars and youth advocates. This …
National Center for Access to Justice Fines and Fees Index
In 2016, the National Center for Access to Justice debuted it’s Justice Index and in May 2020, it was updated for the second time. The Fines and Fees Index, an …
The ABCs of Racial Disparity: Enforcement of Low-Level Drug Crimes in Dallas County in 2018
In Dallas County, police discretion determines whether a person will be tried in municipal or county court for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. This report examines the marijuana enforcement …
AR SB513
The Arkansas legislature passed a bill eliminating driver’s license suspension for failure to pay fines in noncriminal traffic infractions. The bill permits driver’s license suspension for failure to appear at a hearing to …
Tip of the Iceberg: How Much Criminal Justice Debt Does the U.S. Really Have?
Considerable research has uncovered the financial burden and unintended consequences wreaked on the people charged with paying fines and fees. But there has been little, if any, investigation into how …