When the Dollars Don’t Add Up to Sense
Over the past 20 years, North Carolina has increased its reliance on fines and fees as a revenue source. At the same time, the legislature has implemented regressive tax policies …
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Access to Justice Spotlight: Fines & Fees
In April 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Office of Justice Programs, and Office for Access to Justice issued a revised Dear Colleague Letter, which detailed seven …
California AB-645 Vehicles: speed safety system pilot program
The California legislature passed a bill allowing for the use of automated speeding cameras as a pilot program in 6 California counties: Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, San Francisco, San …
Waiving Criminal Court Fees Prevents Harms of Civil Debt
North Carolina law allows judges to order the conversion of financial obligations to civil judgments. Although doing this may protect justice-involved people from driver’s license suspensions, an extension of probation, …
The Ultimate Connecting Families Campaign Guide
Worth Rises is an advocacy organization working to dismantle the prison industry and end the exploitation of incarcerated people and their loved ones, and the lead organizer of the national …
The Fee Trap: Why Alabama’s Local Governments Can’t Shake Fines and Charges
Local governments in Alabama, constrained by the state’s constitutional limits on raising taxes, impose fees and general charges to fund services. As a result, lower-income people pay a more significant …
Forgotten But Not Gone: A Multi-State Analysis of Modern-Day Debt Imprisonment
The majority of states allow imprisonment as a direct result of failing to pay (FTP) court debt. This report presents findings from a three-state case study that sought to estimate the prevalence …
The Government Revenue, Recidivism, and Financial Health Effects of Criminal Fines and Fees
Beginning January 1st, 2014, Wisconsin imposed a $200 surcharge on misdemeanor defendants found guilty in the Milwaukee Circuit Court. This paper examines the economic impact of the mandatory surcharge and its …
Probation in Allegheny County
Although probation is seen as an alternative to incarceration, it has become a driver of incarceration. Forty percent of people in the Allegheny County Jail are incarcerated because of probation …
Ten Principles of A Public Defense Delivery System
In 2002, the American Bar Association (ABA) adopted ten principles for policymakers, public defense administrators, and other stakeholders to assess their jurisdictions’ compliance with best practices for providing effective indigent …