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

San Diego is owed more than $260 million in delinquent parking tickets and other debts. Will it ever collect them?
San Diego is owed more than $260 million in delinquent parking tickets and other debts. Will it ever collect them?

Though fines are intended to deter unwanted behaviors, many cities use them as a revenue source. For the first time in over 20 years, San Diego raised its parking citation prices,…
Research & Data, Media Coverage / California / November 30, 2025
Kristen Taketa

Equity In Enforcement Working Group: Report of Recommendation 2025
Equity In Enforcement Working Group: Report of Recommendation 2025

In January 2025, Chicago’s City Council passed a resolution establishing an Equity in Enforcement Working Group tasked with developing recommendations for moving Chicago toward a m…
Illinois / September 22, 2025
Equity in Enforcement Working Group, Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety

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…
Research & Data / Georgia / July 17, 2025
Brittany T. Martin, Amairini Sanchez, and Andrea Giuffree

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…
Research & Data / Washington / June 01, 2025
Kate K. O’Neill & Alexes Harris

Report to the Legislature: Online Infraction Adjudication and Ability-to-Pay Determinations
Report to the Legislature: Online Infraction Adjudication and Ability-to-Pay Determinations

MyCitations was developed and is maintained by the Judicial Council of California as an online tool to allow individuals with infraction violations to request a reduction in their…
Pilots & Programs / California / February 01, 2025

Should Unpaid Traffic Tickets Lead to Jail Time? This Justice of The Peace Doesn’t Think So.
Should Unpaid Traffic Tickets Lead to Jail Time? This Justice of The Peace Doesn’t Think So.

In Texas, failing to pay fines and fees for low-level traffic offenses can result in arrest warrants. In Harris County, Justice of the Peace Steve Duble has taken a bold step by re…
Explainers, Media Coverage / Texas / December 23, 2024
Clare Amari

From Barriers to Bridges: How Fines and Fees Reform Can Help Boost Economic Security
From Barriers to Bridges: How Fines and Fees Reform Can Help Boost Economic Security

In Georgia, fines and fees imposed by state and local governments in the criminal legal system are a barrier to economic security. This report by the Georgia Budget and Policy Inst…
Research & Data / Georgia / December 20, 2024
Ray Khalfani and Ife Flinch Floyd

Fair Warnings: Recommendations to Promote Equity in Speed Safety Camera Programs
Fair Warnings: Recommendations to Promote Equity in Speed Safety Camera Programs

Speed safety cameras are widely used internationally and in more than 240 communities in the United States as a traffic safety strategy. When well designed, operated, and monitored…
Research & Data / National / December 01, 2024
Tiffany Smith and Leah Shahum

McGrath v. Suffolk County
McGrath v. Suffolk County

Issue Whether Suffolk County’s imposition of administrative fees on red light camera violations exceeding the state statutory cap of $50 per violation (or $75 with a late fee…
Cases / New York / November 27, 2024

Failure to Pay The Use of Debt-Based Carceral Sanctions and Warrants in Wisconsin’s Municipal Courts
Failure to Pay The Use of Debt-Based Carceral Sanctions and Warrants in Wisconsin’s Municipal Courts

Although municipal courts in Wisconsin do not enforce criminal penalties, many order the arrest and jailing of people for debt-based sanctions. Municipal courts use writs of commit…
Explainers, Research & Data / Wisconsin / November 19, 2024
Emma Shakeshaft