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
Diversion Without Debt: Case Studies from Three County Prosecutors Leading Fee Reform
Diversion Without Debt: Case Studies from Three County Prosecutors Leading Fee Reform
Diversion programs offer an early off-ramp from the criminal legal system, providing accountability while reducing recidivism and enhancing public safety. However, the imposition o…
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…
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…
Warrant Strategy
Warrant Strategy
Managing old warrants aged anywhere from 5 to 25 years contributes to significant backlogs in the legal system. This report highlights Cook County’s strategic efforts to addr…
Ability to Pay: Closing the Access to Justice Gap with Policy Solutions for Unaffordable Fines and Fees
Ability to Pay: Closing the Access to Justice Gap with Policy Solutions for Unaffordable Fines and Fees
Financial circumstances heavily influence an individual’s access to justice, especially when it comes to the fines and fees imposed by the justice system. These costs contrib…
Clearing The Road For Ohioans With Suspended Licenses: A Look At Ohio’s Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Program
Clearing The Road For Ohioans With Suspended Licenses: A Look At Ohio’s Reinstatement Fee Amnesty Program
For drivers in Ohio, there are over 30 offenses, with penalties ranging from $15 to $600, that may trigger a license suspension. The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) then charge…
People Over Profits: A Truly Free, No Cost Tablet Program for Incarcerated People in San Francisco
People Over Profits: A Truly Free, No Cost Tablet Program for Incarcerated People in San Francisco
Tablets are often utilized in jails and prisons to generate revenue from incarcerated individuals and their families, with high costs for the tablets and access to services making…
Report to the Legislature: Online Infraction Adjudication and Ability-to-Pay Determinations
Report to the Legislature: Online Infraction Adjudication and Ability-to-Pay Determinations
This report uses data from California courts that have adopted the MyCitations tool to evaluate the pilot program. As of January 1, 2023, over 66,000 ability-to-pay requests were s…
Rethinking How Law Enforcement Is Deployed
Rethinking How Law Enforcement Is Deployed
To mitigate the risk of harm, municipalities have tasked non-law enforcement responders with addressing nonviolent social and medical issues and narrowed police discretion and duti…
Eliminating Discriminatory Fines and Fees: Learning from San Franscisco
Eliminating Discriminatory Fines and Fees: Learning from San Franscisco
In New York City, fines and fees provide the city with more than $2 billion in revenue each year. However, many of these fines and fees fall on lower income New Yorkers of color a…