News

Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration Report and Recommendations

Michigan’s jail population has tripled from 1975 to 2016. To learn what led to this dramatic increase and identify alternatives, state and county leaders launched the Michigan Joint Task Force …

Think Debtors Prisons Are a Thing of the Past? Not in Mississippi.

The authors of this feature report detail the lived experiences of poor people sentenced to Mississippi’s restitution centers while they work to earn money to pay off court-ordered debts.

If We Only Knew the Cost: Scratching the Surface on How Much it Costs to Assess and Collect Court Imposed Criminal Fines and Fees

This report investigates the amount of time and resources the court system spends to assess and collect criminal fines and fees.

Edwards v. Leaders in Community Alternatives

Alameda County contracts with Leaders in Community Alternatives (LCA) to provide court-ordered GPS tracking and alcohol monitoring devices for people on pre-trial or home detention. Although LCA is supposed to charge fees on a sliding scale based on a person’s ability to pay, LCA does not adjust its fees based on a person’s actual financial circumstances and never informs people that reduced fees are available.

News

Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration Report and Recommendations

Think Debtors Prisons Are a Thing of the Past? Not in Mississippi.

If We Only Knew the Cost: Scratching the Surface on How Much it Costs to Assess and Collect Court Imposed Criminal Fines and Fees

Edwards v. Leaders in Community Alternatives

Can’t Win For Losing – How Institutions and Policies Keep Arkansans in Debt

Monetary Sanctions: Legal Financial Obligations in US Systems of Justice

Annual Assessments and Collections Report [Florida, 2013-2019]

Special Report: How a legal system dependent on fines, fees affects Oklahomans

Paying for Jail: How County Jails Extract Wealth from New York Communities

Personal Narrative: Valencia