News

Injustice in the Lowest Courts: How Municipal Courts Rob America’s Youth

In collaboration with the Juvenile Law Center, Columbia Law School’s Community Advocacy Lab examined the constitutions and laws of each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia to …

Crimsumerism: Combating Consumer Abuses in the Criminal Legal System

Increasingly, criminal legal system debt is owed not only to the state, but also to a vast network of private companies profiting from the criminalization of poverty and communities of …

Arizona Senate Bill 1551: Driver license suspensions; restrictions

The Arizona legislature passed AZ SB 1551 ending driver’s license suspensions for failure to pay and failure to appear for traffic violations. The bill also prohibits the suspension or restriction of driving …

Driving DC to Opportunity: Wealth Should Not Determine Who Gets to Keep Their Driver’s License

DC’s Clean Hands Law restricts driver’s license privileges for court debt above $100. This report shows how this law punishes poverty, exacerbates inequalities, negatively impacts employment opportunities, and contributes to …

MA H.3453: An Act to Eliminate Debt-Based Incarceration and Suspensions

The Massachusetts legislature introduced a bill to eliminate debt-based incarceration and license suspensions for reasons not related to safe driving including failure to pay indigent counsel fees or parking tickets. The …

Driving for Opportunity Act of 2021

The act permits the Attorney General to make grants to states in order to cover the costs of reinstating driver’s licenses previously suspended for unpaid fines and fees. The bill …

Carter v. Montgomery

Hundreds of individuals were assessed fines by the Montgomery Municipal Court for misdemeanors, primarily traffic tickets like driving with a suspended license and other low-level crimes of poverty. When they …

Meade v. Bonin et al

When the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court (“OPCDC”) orders a defendant to sign up for ankle monitoring, the defendant must choose from three private ankle monitoring providers operating in Orleans …

Independent Review: The City of Buffalo School Zone Safety Program & An Analysis of Citation Data from the City of Buffalo Speed Camera Program

The City of Buffalo installed 20 speed cameras as part of their School Zone Safety Program to reduce School Zone vehicle crashes. This analysis attempts to determine whether the City …

Living with Conviction: Sentenced To Debt For Life In Washington State

Through storytelling and legal empowerment, Living with Conviction: Sentenced to Debt for Life in Washington State partners with formerly incarcerated individuals to advocate for the end of onerous legal financial …