Welcome to FFJC’s digital library of resources related to fines and fees, also known as the Clearinghouse. Our repository of research and tools is curated and summarized by our Policy and Research team and includes key fines and fees research, litigation, legislation, policy analysis and guidance, and case studies. Use the search features below to find the information you need to drive reform.

E.g., ‘impacts of fines and fees’
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Debt Sentence: How Fines And Fees Hurt Working Families

This report shares the results of a national survey of over 5,600 adults to see how court-imposed fines and fees affect people across the country.

Debt Sentence: How Fines And Fees Hurt Working Families

This Louisiana Town Runs Largely on Traffic Fines. If You Fight Your Ticket, the Mayor Is Your Judge.
This Louisiana Town Runs Largely on Traffic Fines. If You Fight Your Ticket, the Mayor Is Your Judge.

A Louisiana town that covers 20 blocks with only 226 residents has garnered national attention for its predatory reliance on fines and forfeitures. To make matters worse, Fenton is…
Media Coverage / Louisiana / November 16, 2023
Samantha Sunne, Dannah Sauer & Lee Zurik

Community Supervision Part 1: Fees and Fines
Community Supervision Part 1: Fees and Fines

Financial penalties can serve as a barrier to successful rehabilitation and reentry. In addition to fines and restitution, probationers and parolees can be assessed supervision fee…
Research & Data / Louisiana / January 23, 2023
Scott E. Peyton

More than half of Louisiana’s Public Defender Offices in The Red After COVID Shuttered Courts
More than half of Louisiana’s Public Defender Offices in The Red After COVID Shuttered Courts

Public defense in Louisiana is reliant on unpredictable conviction and user fees for the bulk of its funding. For the fourth year in a row, public defense offices have run a budget…
Media Coverage / Louisiana / January 02, 2022
Jacqueline Derobertis

Louisiana HB 216: Provides relative to the imposition of court costs in proceedings involving children
Louisiana HB 216: Provides relative to the imposition of court costs in proceedings involving children

Louisiana passed legislation prohibiting the authority of juvenile justice courts to assess costs in juvenile delinquency proceedings against a juvenile, their parents, or guardian…
Legislation / Louisiana / June 10, 2021

Meade v. Bonin et al
Meade v. Bonin et al

When the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court (“OPCDC”) orders a defendant to sign up for ankle monitoring, the defendant must choose from three private ankle monitoring provider…
Cases / Louisiana / March 04, 2021

Examining the Intersection Between Criminal Justice and Financial Services in the Deep South
Examining the Intersection Between Criminal Justice and Financial Services in the Deep South

The text discusses the financial burdens and barriers to financial stability faced by people after they are released from prison.
Research & Data / Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee / January 08, 2021
Calandra Davis

Price of Justice- Challenging the Future of Fines and Fees
Price of Justice- Challenging the Future of Fines and Fees

This report summarizes the progress five states made in fines and fees reform, the challenges they experienced, and guidance for other jurisdictions interested in reforming their c…
California, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, Washington / October 07, 2020
Yolaine Menyard, Chidinma Ume, Center for Court Innovation; Elizabeth DeWolf, Reagan Daly, City University of New York Institute for State and Local Governance

Louisiana House Bill 48: Requires the uniform reporting by entities that assess, collect, or receive revenue from pre- or post-adjudication costs, fines, and fees
Louisiana House Bill 48: Requires the uniform reporting by entities that assess, collect, or receive revenue from pre- or post-adjudication costs, fines, and fees

This bill requires uniform reporting by entities that assess, collect and receive revenue from pre or post adjudication costs, fines and fees. By the end of 2020, state and local e…
Legislation / Louisiana / July 29, 2020

Caliste v. Cantrell
Caliste v. Cantrell

Caliste v. Cantrell 937 F.3d 525 (5th Cir. 2019). Issue: Whether there is a conflict of interest when a magistrate responsible for bail decisions is also responsible for generating…
Cases / Louisiana / August 29, 2019

Cain v. New Orleans
Cain v. New Orleans

Plaintiff-Appellees were former criminal defendants in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court (OPCDC) who pleaded guilty to various criminal defenses and were assessed fines and fe…
Cases, Explainers / Louisiana / August 23, 2019