Monetary Sanctions: Legal Financial Obligations in US Systems of Justice
This review provides a historical background of court fines and fees and shows how these costs affect people present day.
News
Annual Assessments and Collections Report [Florida, 2013-2019]
Each year, the Florida Clerks & Comptrollers release a consolidated summary with data about the fines and fees that were assessed and collected statewide.
Special Report: How a legal system dependent on fines, fees affects Oklahomans
This five-part series uses personal accounts from Oklahomans to show how fines and fees negatively affect people who cannot afford them.
Paying for Jail: How County Jails Extract Wealth from New York Communities
This report examines the burdensome costs of phone calls, commissary, and disciplinary tickets assessed by New York jails, specifically those outside of New York City.
Personal Narrative: Valencia
After three years of having her driver's license suspended, Valencia, a Florida resident, was only able to restore her driving privileges by paying more than a $1000 in reinstatement costs and to get on a payment plan.
Driving on Empty: Florida’s Counterproductive and Costly Driver’s License Suspension Practices
Driving on Empty shows how driver’s license suspension for nonpayment in Florida detracts from public safety, and outlines the racial and economic disparities perpetuated by this practice.
Taxation by Citation? Exploring Local Governments’ Revenue Motive for Traffic Fines
In 1977 California counties received 74 percent of their own-source general funds from property tax, but after Proposition 13, counties’ property tax decreased by over 50 percent. Since the passage …
The Steep Costs of Criminal Justice Fees and Fines, A Fiscal Analysis of Three States and Ten Counties
This Brennan Center research report analyzes the numerous disadvantages of the current criminal justice fine and fee systems of ten counties in Texas, Florida, and New Mexico.
Costs of Injustice: How Criminal System Fees Are Hurting Los Angeles County Families
This report shares the life experiences of Los Angeles County residents to illustrate how criminal justice fines and fees assessed by the County can be overly burdensome and punitive.
What Do We Know About Community Service?
Host Matt Watkins of New Thinking interviewed Harry Glenn and James Brodick from the Center for Court Innovation (CCI) and Joanna Weiss from the Fines and Fees Justice Center about …