Ability to Pay Archives - Page 39 of 39 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Nickel and Diming the Criminal Defendant: A Look at Financial Penalties in Felony Cases

This article details the costs, fees, and financial assessments that may be imposed as part of a felony sentence in Michigan and the authorizing statutes.

Maryland’s Parole Supervision Fee: A Barrier To Reentry

This report explains how Maryland’s parole supervision fee works against the rehabilitative goals of the state’s supervision policies and how the $40/month fee can impede a person’s successful reentry.

Jailing The Poor: Court Debt And Incarceration In RI

This policy brief describes how often people in Rhode Island are jailed for nonpayment of court fines and fees and barriers to repayment.

Court Debt and Related Incarceration in Rhode Island from 2005 through 2007

Rhode Island’s most frequent cause of incarceration is court debt, which not only causes inefficient use of state finances, but disrupts people’s lives. To determine the extent to which incarceration …

Sentencing for Dollars: The Financial Consequences of a Criminal Conviction

This working paper details the collateral consequences of fines and fees in New York and highlights how the conflicting goals of assessing fines and fees – punishment as well as the need for revenue – can threaten criminal justice system outcomes and disproportionately impact marginalized communities.

Thomas v. City of Gulfport

Harrison County Jail was a modern day debtors’ prison. Officers went to predominantly African American neighborhoods arbitrarily checking people to see if they had paid their court fines and fees.

Personal Narrative: Melissa Stephens

Melissa Stephens, a mother of three, was forced to move from Wichita, Kansas to Las Vegas, Nevada because of $8000 of traffic ticket debt.

Ohio Revised Code 2947.14: Hearing on ability to pay fine

This statute details the procedural protections owed to defendants in instances of nonpayment of fines and fees. It also establishes explicit limits for nonpayment incarceration.

Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure: Rule 26.11: Fines and restitution.

This rule guides Alabama courts' decision-making processes for ordering restitution and fines, including for failure to pay.

Bearden v. Georgia

In Bearden v. Georgia, the Supreme Court held that courts may only revoke probation and/or sentence the defendant to imprisonment if the defendant willfully refused to pay.