Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Standing Policy on Juvenile Administrative Fees
In the summer of 2018, New Orleans became the first city in the South to abolish fees charged to youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
Collateral Consequences
How Fines and Fees Criminalize Poverty: Explained
Fines and fees are levied at every stage of the criminal justice system. People who are poor and unable to pay them are criminalized and face many collateral consequences in …
Unequal Treatment: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Miami-Dade Criminal Justice
This report discusses the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in the Miami-Dade County criminal justice system.
Personal Narrative: James Brooks
James Brooks paid Leaders in Community Alternatives, a private probation company, $1,629 for 58 days to avoid jail and to continue to be able to care for his ill mother.
Report of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Municipal Court Operations, Fines, and Fees
This report is a result of a comprehensive review of New Jersey municipal courts by the Supreme Court Committee on Municipal Court Operations, Fines, and Fees.
Personal Narrative: Jane Doe
Jane Doe was driving and arrived at a traffic checkpoint operated by the Buffalo Police Department. Because she lacked a harness for her children's booster seats, she was assessed eight points on her driver’s license, $446 in fines and $450 for a Driver Responsibility Assessment. During this time, Ms. Doe was a full time student with no income. BTVA refused to accept partial payments or provide a payment plan. Unable to pay, her learner’s permit was suspended. In 2018, she used her tax refund to pay her traffic tickets and reinstate her permit.
Personal Narrative: Hilda Brucker
Hilda Brucker received citations for rotted wood and chipped paint, weeds in her yard and ivy on her trees, and cracks in her driveway.
Why does the US still have ‘debtors’ prisons’?
This video describes how people, especially those of fewer means, can be jailed for unpaid court fines and fees.
Report on the Special Report on extreme poverty and human rights on his mission to the United States
This report presents the findings from a visit to the United States by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, Philip Alston. He evaluated government programs and policies aimed to address extreme poverty according to the United States' human rights obligations.
Criminal Justice Administrative Fees: High Pain for People, Low Gain for Government. A Call to Action for California Counties.
In 2017, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, Financial Justice Project, and Mayor’s Office of Budget and Public Policy studied the collateral consequences of criminal justice administrative fees on San Franciscans. Their findings were published in this report, which also coincides with 2018 San Francisco County legislation that abolished all discretionary fees imposed by the county.