Collection Fees and Interest Archives - Page 2 of 5

Reckless Lawmaking: How Debt-Based Driver’s License Suspension Laws Impose Harm and Waste Resources

This report examines the impacts of suspending driver’s licenses as a consequence of unpaid fines and fees and failure to appear in court. 16 individuals who had their license suspended …

Crimsumerism: Combating Consumer Abuses in the Criminal Legal System

Increasingly, criminal legal system debt is owed not only to the state, but also to a vast network of private companies profiting from the criminalization of poverty and communities of …

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 …

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 …

The Price of Justice: Fines, Fees and the Criminalization of Poverty in the United States

Mass incarceration and the rising cost of the justice system correlate with the high number and value of fines and fees imposed throughout the justice system. As federal funding for …

Champagne v. Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP

Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP (“Linebarger”) has an exclusive contract with the Iowa Judicial Branch to act as the sole private company collecting court debt, including court costs, such …

Clearing the Path to a New Beginning: A Guide To Discharging Criminal Justice Debt In Bankruptcy

This guide outlines how criminal justice debt may be treated in Chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy and details the types of fines, fees, and costs that can and cannot be discharged through Bankruptcy.

Louisiana House Bill 48: Requires the uniform reporting by entities that assess, collect, or receive revenue from pre- or post-adjudication costs, fines, and fees

This bill requires uniform reporting by entities that assess, collect and receive revenue from pre or post adjudication costs, fines and fees. By the end of 2020, state and local …

Privatization of Services in the Criminal Justice System

Privatization throughout the justice system has exacerbated the cycle of mandatory fees, nonpayment, and consequent additional fees. Private companies, often with little to no oversight, can have economic incentives to …

COVID-19 Crisis: Advocacy Materials

FFJC is compiling advocacy materials for organizations and community members across America who are working toward fines and fees policy changes in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Below, you can …