Carter v. Montgomery
Hundreds of individuals were assessed fines by the Montgomery Municipal Court for misdemeanors, primarily traffic tickets like driving with a suspended license and other low-level crimes of poverty. When they …
Ability to Pay
Living with Conviction: Sentenced To Debt For Life In Washington State
Through storytelling and legal empowerment, Living with Conviction: Sentenced to Debt for Life in Washington State partners with formerly incarcerated individuals to advocate for the end of onerous legal financial …
Costs and Fees Charged To Indigent Criminal Defendants in Philadelphia County
This publication seeks to determine the amount of criminal court costs and fees PLSE’s clients owe to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Layaway Freedom: Coercive Financialization in the Criminal Legal System
Using data from courtroom observations and interviews with court actors and people paying their court debt in Illinois, the authors study financialization in the criminal legal system, including the practice …
Online Traffic Adjudication and Ability to Pay Annual Report
The Pilot Program for Online Adjudication of Infraction Violations allows qualified California litigants to request reductions in traffic infraction fines and fees in 8 pilot courts, remotely. This report provides …
Imposition And Collection Of Fines, Costs, And Restitution In Pennsylvania Criminal Courts
This research shows how court fines, fees, and restitution affect public defender clients differently than private counsel clients in Pennsylvania criminal courts.
Fees, Fines and Criminal Justice In Tennessee: How It All Works and Why It Matters
In Tennessee, fines and fees are used as both a punishment and a way to fund the justice system and other specific services. This report details the fines and fees …
Pay Unto Caesar: Breaches of Justice in the Monetary Sanctions Regime
In this report, the authors analyze how people in the court system think about monetary sanctions with regard to constitutional, retributive, procedural and distributive justice. Using information from interviews with …
The Broad Scope and Variation of Monetary Sanctions: Evidence from Eight States
This study describes the findings from the Multi-state study of Monetary Sanctions, examining the systems of monetary sanctions operating in California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Texas and Washington. …
The High Price of Using Justice Fines and Fees to Fund Government
The Vera Institute of Justice released a series of research reports detailing the fines and fees levied by government agencies in Florida and New York, the impact of fines and …