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
Silver Sanctions: Legal Financial Obligations in an Aging Population
Silver Sanctions: Legal Financial Obligations in an Aging Population
Researchers have historically overlooked how aging populations experience non-carceral sanctions, such as fines and fees, within the criminal legal system. This study examines how…
Legal Financial Obligations in Washington’s Courts: Final Report to the Legislature
Legal Financial Obligations in Washington’s Courts: Final Report to the Legislature
Funded by a 2023 budget bill the Washington State Center for Court Research was tasked to study the state’s system of legal financial obligations (LFOs), this report analyzes the i…
People in WA Prisons Pay Millions in Fees. Most of It Isn’t Being Used
People in WA Prisons Pay Millions in Fees. Most of It Isn’t Being Used
The Washington Department of Correction manages an “Incarcerated Individual Betterment Fund,” which is funded by fees collected from incarcerated people. Although the fund is inten…
The Burden of Court Debt on Washingtonians
The Burden of Court Debt on Washingtonians
The majority of Washingtonians assessed legal financial obligations (LFOs) meet state indigency standards, and their low payment rates suggest their debts are uncollectible. In Was…
State of Washington v. Eyman
State of Washington v. Eyman
Issue Whether courts must consider a person’s ability to pay a fine when determining whether the fine is excessive under the Excessive Fines Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the…
Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State: Final Report
Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State: Final Report
Washington state code refers to 376 unique criminal legal financial obligations (LFOs) that stem from misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, or felony convictions. The Washington State…
Traffic Enforcement: Strategies Needed to Achieve Safety Goals
Traffic Enforcement: Strategies Needed to Achieve Safety Goals
In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic enforcement by the King County Sheriff’s Office declined, but by mid 2020 returned to a higher level in jurisdictions with offi…
The Price of Justice: Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State
The Price of Justice: Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State
Utilizing survey responses from key stakeholders, the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission’s report gathers insights into the current landscape of policies and practice…
What is Wrong with Monetary Sanctions? Directions for Policy, Practice, and Research
What is Wrong with Monetary Sanctions? Directions for Policy, Practice, and Research
Each year tens of millions of people are assessed fines, fees, and other costs stemming from their contacts with the criminal legal system, ranging from felony convictions to traff…
It’s Time To Reform Washington’s Harmful System Of Fines And Fees
It’s Time To Reform Washington’s Harmful System Of Fines And Fees
People with low incomes, disabilities, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) shoulder much of the harm from the legal financial obligations (LFOs) levied in Washingt…