The Impact of Fines, Fees, and Forfeitures on Policing

Law enforcement agencies across the nation, like many local and state governments, rely on fines, fees, and forfeitures for funding. The heavy fines, parking citations and unnecessary incarceration that result can erode trust in police, decrease officer morale, and divert law enforcement resources. This report explores the impacts of fines, fees and forfeitures on policing and sets forth solutions to limit the negative effects of current assessment and enforcement practices.   

Read the full report here.

Recommendations: 

• End/limit the justice system’s reliance on fines, fees, and forfeitures. 
• Allow for alternatives/waivers of payment.
• End quotas.
• Increase transparency around the types and amounts of fines and fees imposed and collected, and the percentage of a municipal budget such sources fund. 
• End the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for failure to pay fines and fees.