How Fines and Fees Impact Family Well-Being
Fines and fees, imposed at every level of the criminal legal system, significantly affect the well-being of families. Using data from the Urban Institute’s 2023 Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey, …
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The Jefferson County Equitable Fines and Fees Project: Preliminary Findings on Fairness and Efficacy
Local governments impose legal financial obligations (LFOs) on individuals convicted of traffic violations, misdemeanors, and felonies. The Jefferson County Equitable Fines and Fees (JEFF) Project studied over 8,000 felony and …
Low-Income Kansans Are Going Into Debt Because Unpaid Traffic Tickets Rack up Interest
In Kansas, low-income individuals fall deeper into debt due to unpaid traffic tickets that accrue interest over time. When these fines remain unpaid, they are often transferred to private collection …
Health, Access to Care, and Financial Barriers to Care Among People Incarcerated in US Prisons
Prison residents often come from communities with high poverty and poor health. More than 60 percent of prison residents in the United States have a chronic physical condition and more …
The Long-Term Impact of Debt Relief For Indigent Defendants in a Misdemeanor Court
A follow-up study to Criminalizing Poverty: The Consequences of Court Fees in a Randomized Experiment, confirms what many have long argued—court fines and fees do not deter crime. Instead, they …
In the Rearview Mirror: St. Louis’s Municipal Courts After a Decade of Reform and Regress
Ten years ago, the death of Michael Brown ignited the Ferguson Uprising, bringing to light systemic injustices in municipal courts across St. Louis County. In the wake of this tragedy, …
WA State Courts of Limited Jurisdiction: 2024 Reference Guide on Legal Financial Obligations in Criminal Cases
This bench card is meant to educate Washington State judges about procedural protections owed to defendants who are ordered to pay fines and fees in criminal court.
Reframing The Debate on Legal Financial Obligations and Crime: How Accruing Monetary Sanctions Impacts Recidivism
As the use of legal financial obligations (LFOs) continues to grow, researchers have identified a need to better understand the long-term impacts on justice-involved individuals. Using data on monetary sanctions, …
A National Study on the Effect of Supervision Fees on Probation Agency Operations Technical Report
Monetary sanctions are widely scrutinized across the United States, but community supervision fees remain underexplored. To fill this gap, the Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) collaborated with the National Institute …
City of Grants Pass v. Johnson
Issue Does the Eighth Amendment’s Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause prohibit municipalities from enforcing generally applicable laws regulating sleeping and camping on public property? Holding In a 6-3 ruling, the …