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

Washtenaw County Fines and Fees Justice Report
Washtenaw County Fines and Fees Justice Report

In August of 2022, Washtenaw County was selected to participate in the Cities and Counties for Fines and Fees Justice (CCFFJ) cohort led by the Fines and Fees Justice Center, the S…
Research & Data / Michigan / February 03, 2024

The Impact of Criminal Financial Sanctions: A Multi-State Analysis of Survey and Administrative Data
The Impact of Criminal Financial Sanctions: A Multi-State Analysis of Survey and Administrative Data

This multi-state study assesses outcomes related to recidivism, employment, expenditures, mental well-being, and household spillovers. Researchers specifically analyzed how increas…
Research & Data / National, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin / August 10, 2023
Keith Finlay, Matthew Gross, Carl Lieberman, Elizabeth Luhand, and Michael Mueller-Smith

2022 Final Report to the Governor, Legislature, and Supreme Court
2022 Final Report to the Governor, Legislature, and Supreme Court

Recommendations by the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration to decrease Michigan’s jail population led to the establishment of the Michigan Jail Reform Advi…
Research & Data / Michigan / December 02, 2022

Taylor v. City of Saginaw
Taylor v. City of Saginaw

United States District Court, E.D. Michigan, Northern Division August 8, 2022 — Fed. 3d — 2022 WL 3160734 Case No. 1:17-cv-11067
Cases / Michigan / August 08, 2022

Why We Need to Stop Suspending and Revoking Driver’s Licenses Due to Debt
Why We Need to Stop Suspending and Revoking Driver’s Licenses Due to Debt

The Prosperity Now Scorecard rates states on their progress toward racial economic justice in several policy areas. The 2022 policy update includes an assessment of which states ha…
Research & Data, Tools / National, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Virginia / February 01, 2022
Seanniece Bamiro

Minors Facing Major Debt: The Immense Burden of Court Fees on Macomb County Youth and Families
Minors Facing Major Debt: The Immense Burden of Court Fees on Macomb County Youth and Families

The Michigan Center for Youth Justice (MCYJ), in partnership with the National Center for Youth Law and the 16th Judicial Division, developed an innovation site in Macomb County, M…
Research & Data / Michigan / July 07, 2021
Liz George, Adrianna Duchene, and Mary King 

Michigan House Bills No. 4987–4991
Michigan House Bills No. 4987–4991

The Michigan legislature introduced a package of bills that would prohibit juvenile courts from assessing and collecting fines and fees from juveniles or their families.  The bills…
Legislation / Michigan / June 21, 2021

MI HB 5846
MI HB 5846

Michigan recently enacted legislation eliminating the authority to suspend, revoke, or restrict driver’s licenses for offenses  unrelated to driving or vehicles; such as fail…
Legislation / Michigan / January 04, 2021

The High Costs of “Justice”: A Snapshot of Juvenile Court Fines and Fees in Michigan
The High Costs of “Justice”: A Snapshot of Juvenile Court Fines and Fees in Michigan

Through information collected from counties, advocates, community members and court involved families, the National Center for Youth Law published this brief summarizing the impact…
Michigan / August 01, 2020
Atasi Uppal

Overdue for Justice: An Assessment of Access to and Quality of Juvenile Defense Counsel in Michigan
Overdue for Justice: An Assessment of Access to and Quality of Juvenile Defense Counsel in Michigan

Michigan’s constitution mandates that every young person receive legal representation, yet the state currently ranks 44th out of 50 in per capita indigent defense spending. T…
Research & Data / Michigan / June 29, 2020
Kim Tandy