Hate speed traps and tickets? These people are fighting back.
Doraville, Georgia, a 10,000-person suburb of Atlanta, has become notorious for its revenue-generating speed traps and housing code enforcement cases.
News
Personal Narrative: Hilda Brucker
Hilda Brucker received citations for rotted wood and chipped paint, weeds in her yard and ivy on her trees, and cracks in her driveway.
Unholy Alliance: California Courts’ Use of Private Debt Collectors
California’s use of private debt collection companies for criminal justice fines and fees debt disproportionately impacts communities of color and perpetuates a cycle of poverty. The California Reinvestment Coalition reviewed …
Why does the US still have ‘debtors’ prisons’?
This video describes how people, especially those of fewer means, can be jailed for unpaid court fines and fees.
Monetary Myopia: An Examination of Institutional Response to Revenue From Monetary Sanctions for Misdemeanors
This study assesses the use of fines and fees for misdemeanor crimes in Nevada and Iowa to highlight the perverse incentives embedded in the practice of using courts as revenue centers. The article proposes the concept of “monetary myopia,” or a short-sighted focus on revenue at the expense of other concerns, to explain the states’ behavior.
Report on the Special Report on extreme poverty and human rights on his mission to the United States
This report presents the findings from a visit to the United States by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, Philip Alston. He evaluated government programs and policies aimed to address extreme poverty according to the United States' human rights obligations.
Criminal Justice Administrative Fees: High Pain for People, Low Gain for Government. A Call to Action for California Counties.
In 2017, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, Financial Justice Project, and Mayor’s Office of Budget and Public Policy studied the collateral consequences of criminal justice administrative fees on San Franciscans. Their findings were published in this report, which also coincides with 2018 San Francisco County legislation that abolished all discretionary fees imposed by the county.
“You Miss So Much When You’re Gone”- The Lasting Harm of Jailing Mothers Before Trial in Oklahoma
This report provides a brief history on the disproportionate rise of women’s incarceration in the US and in Oklahoma before explaining four kinds of barriers that prevent mothers from returning to normalcy after they come into contact with the system, with a particular focus on fines and fees.
[Bench Card] Monetary Obligations in North Carolina Criminal Cases
This bench card provides guidance to North Carolina judges regarding the imposition and collection of fines and fees in criminal cases. In particular, the bench card outlines the law as applicable to court costs, attorney fees, other fees, fines, and restitution, and highlights when each obligation applies as well as when and how courts can provide relief.
Massachusetts Senate Bill 2371: Relative to Criminal Justice Reform
Massachusetts Senate Bill 2371, which passed in 2018, protects people from being incarcerated for their inability to pay or for nonpayment of fines and fees, prohibits indigent defendants from being charged for counsel, and allows for court-ordered monetary sanctions to be adjusted or waived.