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
States Should Reduce or Eliminate Criminal Fines and Fees, Even Amid Challenging Fiscal
States Should Reduce or Eliminate Criminal Fines and Fees, Even Amid Challenging Fiscal
In challenging fiscal landscapes, state and local governments often turn to fines and fees to fill budget shortfalls. In this report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities…
People v. Kopp
People v. Kopp
Issue Holding Background CA Supreme Court’s Reasoning Outcome The court ordered the judgment of the Court of Appeal reversed with directions to remand the matter to the superior co…
Alternative Funding for Trial Courts: Implementation Recommendations
Alternative Funding for Trial Courts: Implementation Recommendations
Under the direction of Public Act 47, the Michigan’s State Court Administrative Office set out to implement the Trial Court Funding Commission’s recommendations for addressing barr…
Winnable Criminal Justice Reforms 2026
Winnable Criminal Justice Reforms 2026
The Prison Policy Initiative released a list of promising policy reforms across several touchpoints in the criminal legal system: sentencing, incarceration, and release. The report…
How Cities are Rethinking Fines and Fees to Strengthen Residents’ Economic Stability
How Cities are Rethinking Fines and Fees to Strengthen Residents’ Economic Stability
Cities across the country have a duty to their residents to promote economic mobility. The National League of Cities launched the Cities Addressing Fines and Fees Equitably Initiat…
Findings from the Jefferson County Equitable Fines and Fees Project
Findings from the Jefferson County Equitable Fines and Fees Project
Alabama is a low-tax,low-service state that relies on bonds, vice taxes, court fines, and fees to fund basic services and projects. This report presents findings from a multi-metho…
Fines, Fees, and Financial Strain: Challenges for State and Local Governments in a Time of Fiscal Uncertainty
Fines, Fees, and Financial Strain: Challenges for State and Local Governments in a Time of Fiscal Uncertainty
Though often utilized as a routine source of revenue for many state and local governments, increasing reliance on fines and fees to fill budget gaps and raise additional revenue as…
Community Service Alternatives: A Free Resource List for Courts and Other Justice System Stakeholders
Community Service Alternatives: A Free Resource List for Courts and Other Justice System Stakeholders
When an individual does not have the ability to pay fines or fees, community service can be an appropriate alternative to financial sanctions. While typically available in most jur…
The Road to Debtors’ Probation: How Criminalizing Traffic Violations Increases State Control and Inequality in Georgia
The Road to Debtors’ Probation: How Criminalizing Traffic Violations Increases State Control and Inequality in Georgia
In Georgia, nearly all traffic offenses are classified as misdemeanors, unlike most states that treat them as civil offenses. This study examines how Georgia’s practice of classify…
Imposing Instability: How Court Fines and Fees Destabilize Government Budgets and Criminalize Those Who Cannot Pay
Imposing Instability: How Court Fines and Fees Destabilize Government Budgets and Criminalize Those Who Cannot Pay
In a first-of-its-kind report, the Fines and Fees Justice Center looks at the amount of criminal, juvenile, municipal, and traffic fines and fees imposed by courts nationwide and c…