Five Facts about Fines and Fees Revenues
This brief summarizes the latest data from the US Census Bureau on where and to what extent places are relying on fine and fee revenue. Key Findings: Fiscal year 2022 …
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Fair Warnings: Recommendations to Promote Equity in Speed Safety Camera Programs
Speed safety cameras are widely used internationally and in more than 240 communities in the United States as a traffic safety strategy. When well designed, operated, and monitored they can …
Legal Financial Obligations in Washington’s Courts: Final Report to the Legislature
Funded by a 2023 budget bill the Washington State Center for Court Research was tasked to study the state’s system of legal financial obligations (LFOs), this report analyzes the imposition, …
McGrath v. Suffolk County
Issue Whether Suffolk County’s imposition of administrative fees on red light camera violations exceeding the state statutory cap of $50 per violation (or $75 with a late fee) is preempted …
Failure to Pay The Use of Debt-Based Carceral Sanctions and Warrants in Wisconsin’s Municipal Courts
Although municipal courts in Wisconsin do not enforce criminal penalties, many order the arrest and jailing of people for debt-based sanctions. Municipal courts use writs of commitment to authorize the …
Reforming the Shadow Carceral State
Pay-to-stay fees are daily costs imposed on currently or formerly incarcerated people to cover the costs of their own incarceration. Using the repeal of pay-to-stay fees in Illinois as a …
Beyond Social Determinants: Fiscal Determinants of Overdose Death in U.S Counties, 2017–2020
Rising overdose-related deaths have prompted many to explore what factors make some communities more severely affected than others. This report presents findings from a first-of-its-kind national study examining how county-level …
Dual Debt in the Child Support and Criminal Legal Systems
Drawing from 30 interviews with Minnesota residents, this study examines the experiences of people with what the authors describe as “dual debt.” The authors find that people who owe both …
Improving Traffic Ticket Outcomes
Costly fines and fees from traffic citations disproportionately burden low income people with debt they cannot afford. To reduce the burden, California created MyCitations, an online ability-to-pay system. Between July …
Beyond Enforcement: Prioritizing Safety in Federal Transportation Funding
The Department of Transportation (DOT) provides grants for traffic safety measures, but its reporting requirements often prioritize enforcement metrics over strategies to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities. This white paper …