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

An Act Relating to Criminal Procedure — Probation and Parole Support Act
An Act Relating to Criminal Procedure — Probation and Parole Support Act

Rhode Island lawmakers enacted legislation eliminating costs, assessments, and fees for individuals who serve  30 days or more in prison. The law also permits waiver or reduction o…
Legislation / Rhode Island / June 27, 2022

RI opens path for former inmates to break impoverishing cycle of court fees and fines
RI opens path for former inmates to break impoverishing cycle of court fees and fines

Many Rhode Islanders are saddled with debt after incarceration, making reentering into their communities difficult. After the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, Rhode Island’s Sup…
Media Coverage, Pilots & Programs / Rhode Island / November 10, 2021
Katie Mulvaney

Protecting vs. Policing: Indigent Defendants in Rhode Island’s Court Debt Collection Regime
Protecting vs. Policing: Indigent Defendants in Rhode Island’s Court Debt Collection Regime

This thesis paper investigates who is being jailed in Rhode Island for outstanding court debt, the impact of the 2008 legislative reforms, and the effects incarceration has on peop…
Explainers, Research / Rhode Island, National / April 30, 2016
Rachel Black, Brown University

Who Pays? The True Cost of Incarceration on Families
Who Pays? The True Cost of Incarceration on Families

This report is the result of a collaborative research project from 20 community-based organizations that studied the costs of incarceration on families across 14 states.
Research & Data, Tools / Washington, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia / September 13, 2015
Saneta deVuono-powell, Chris Schweidler, Alicia Walters, Azadeh Zohrabi

Jailing The Poor: Court Debt And Incarceration In RI
Jailing The Poor: Court Debt And Incarceration In RI

This policy brief describes how often people in Rhode Island are jailed for nonpayment of court fines and fees and barriers to repayment.
Explainers, Research / Rhode Island / August 25, 2008
Family Life Center

Court Debt and Related Incarceration in Rhode Island from 2005 through 2007
Court Debt and Related Incarceration in Rhode Island from 2005 through 2007

Rhode Island’s most frequent cause of incarceration is court debt, which not only causes inefficient use of state finances, but disrupts people’s lives. To determine the extent to…
Explainers, Research / Rhode Island / April 26, 2008