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
Following the Money of Mass Incarceration 2026
Following the Money of Mass Incarceration 2026
Since 2017, the United States has more than doubled its spending on mass incarceration and criminalization, despite a decline in both incarceration rates and correctional staff. Th…
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…
Honest History: How Fines and Fees Came to Harm Black Communities in Virginia
Honest History: How Fines and Fees Came to Harm Black Communities in Virginia
This article takes a look at the history of Virginia’s criminal legal system and the racist laws and policies that resulted in unfair treatment and harmful outcomes for Black Virgi…
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…
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…
The Hidden Web of Criminal Legal System Fines and Fees in Kentucky
The Hidden Web of Criminal Legal System Fines and Fees in Kentucky
Kentucky’s criminal legal system is made up of a complicated network of fines and fees that can be difficult to navigate and lead to devastating consequences for Kentuckians who ar…
Shadow Budgets: How mass incarceration steals from the poor to give to the prison
Shadow Budgets: How mass incarceration steals from the poor to give to the prison
This report examines “Inmate Welfare Funds” – special accounts in prisons and jails funded by revenues from the communication fees, commissary purchases, and other charges im…
The Essential Guide to Court Reminder Programs
The Essential Guide to Court Reminder Programs
Nationwide, millions of people fail to appear for scheduled court dates despite having intentions to attend. This guide developed by ideas42 draws on more than ten years of researc…
Guide to New Low Rates and Consumer Protections for Incarcerated People’s Communications Services
Guide to New Low Rates and Consumer Protections for Incarcerated People’s Communications Services
Effective January 1, 2025, the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act expands and clarifies the scope of the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) autho…