Ethical Obligations of Judges in Collecting Legal Financial Obligations and Other Debts
This opinion from the American Bar Association addresses the obligations judges have to assess ability to pay when collecting fines and fees.
News
Maryland Senate Bill 234: Vehicle Laws – Suspension of Driver’s License or Registration – Unpaid Citations or Judgements
This bill repeals the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration’s authority to suspend a driver’s license and vehicle registration for unpaid traffic fines. The bill does not end driver’s license suspensions for unpaid criminal fines.
Driven to Failure: An Empirical Analysis of Driver’s License Suspension in North Carolina
Through the analysis of four decades of individual and county level suspension data, this study describes North Carolina’s population of drivers whose licenses have been suspended and assesses how driver’s …
New York Assembly Bill A7658A: Providing voice communication service to incarcerated people at no cost.
This bill would require New York to provide free calls for people incarcerated in jails and prisons. It forbids state and local agencies from generating revenue through communications services.
The Crippling Costs of the Juvenile Justice System: A Legal and Policy Argument for Elimination Fines and Fees for Youth Offenders
Across the country, youth and their families, many in poverty, face monetary charges for their involvement in the juvenile justice system, and the consequences can be devastating. In this article, …
Debt Bondage: How Private Collection Agencies Keep the Formerly Incarcerated Tethered to the Criminal Justice System
In Washington, the clerk of courts can transfer the legal financial obligations of incarcerated people to a private debt collection agency if they are thirty days late making a payment. …
Georgia State Conference of the NAACP et al. v. City of LaGrange, Georgia
Individuals must pay their unrelated LaGrange Municipal court fines and fees before gaining access to basic utility services. Further, the City charges $50 for a public defender. Unable to pay for a public defender, most people plead guilty or nolo contendere.
Motion Eliminating Los Angeles County Criminal System Administrative Fees
This motion ends the imposition and collection of all discretionary criminal legal fees collected by Los Angeles County and discharges all outstanding debts.
Driving While Black and Latinx: Stops, Fines, Fees, and Unjust Debts
This paper presents data suggesting that Black, Latinx, and poor people in New York disproportionately suffer the consequences of driver’s license suspensions due to traffic ticket debt and racially disproportionate traffic enforcement.
Maryland HB 1178: Pilot Project for Income-Based Fines (Fair Fines Act of 2020)
This bill requires Maryland courts to establish a base fine for motor vehicle violations and use a formula to determine the amount an individual must pay.