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 Pennsylvania County Wiped Out Millions in Jail Debt
This Pennsylvania County Wiped Out Millions in Jail Debt
In 2022, Dauphin County ended its pay-to-stay policy, which charged incarcerated people daily fees for their incarceration, but left the outstanding debts intact. After realizing t…
Probation in Allegheny County
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 becaus…
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Lopez
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Lopez
Issue Whether Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 706(C) requires a trial court to consider a defendant’s ability to pay prior to imposing mandatory court costs at sentencing….
The Impact of Criminal Court and Prison Fines and Fees in Philadelphia
The Impact of Criminal Court and Prison Fines and Fees in Philadelphia
Over the course of the last year, Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) worked to pursue fine and fee reform as a member of the Cities and Counties f…
Costs and Fees Charged To Indigent Criminal Defendants in Philadelphia County
Costs and Fees Charged To Indigent Criminal Defendants in Philadelphia County
This publication seeks to determine the amount of criminal court costs and fees PLSE’s clients owe to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Imposition And Collection Of Fines, Costs, And Restitution In Pennsylvania Criminal Courts
Imposition And Collection Of Fines, Costs, And Restitution In Pennsylvania Criminal Courts
This research shows how court fines, fees, and restitution affect public defender clients differently than private counsel clients in Pennsylvania criminal courts.
Agency-level Perceptions of Monetary Sanctions: Current Landscape and Impediments to Reform
Agency-level Perceptions of Monetary Sanctions: Current Landscape and Impediments to Reform
Fines and fees are rarely analyzed from the perspective of the agency tasked with managing fine and fee debts. This study investigates how community corrections agencies perceive a…
Considering the Process of Debt Collection in Community Corrections: The Case of the Monetary Compliance Unit
Considering the Process of Debt Collection in Community Corrections: The Case of the Monetary Compliance Unit
Before the creation of the monetary collection unit (MCU) in 2012, individuals with outstanding legal financial obligations (LFOs) from criminal cases faced a prolonged cycle of pr…
Driver’s License Suspensions and the Impact on Young People in Pennsylvania
Driver’s License Suspensions and the Impact on Young People in Pennsylvania
License suspensions are particularly harmful for young people as it is often a key factor in their ability to finish school, obtain employment, and access healthcare. To understand…
Philadelphia Rule of Criminal Procedure 528: Ten Percent (10%) Deposit of Bail.
Philadelphia Rule of Criminal Procedure 528: Ten Percent (10%) Deposit of Bail.
Since the 1970s, Philadelphia Rule of Criminal Procedure 528 allowed courts to keep 3% of total bail posted by defendants, even if they appeared at all hearings required by their b…