NM SB181
This bill requires courts in criminal proceedings to assess ability to pay a fine, fee or costs, at the time of sentencing. The bill also requires that individuals be permitted …
Community Service
Set Up to Fail: How Court Fines & Fees Punish Poverty and Harm Black Communities in Virginia
This publication argues that Black and poor Virginians share a disproportionate amount of Virginia's court debt and discusses differences in repayment plans and community service programs across the state.
Money and Punishment, Circa 2020
In conjunction with the 23rd Annual Liman Colloquium held in the Fall of 2020, the Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School, the Fines and Fees …
First Steps Toward Equitable Fines and Fees Practices: Policy Guidance on Ability-to-Pay Assessments, Payment Plans, and Community Service
This resource provides evidence-based guidance for jurisdictions that currently have or are looking to implement ability to pay assessments, payment plans, and/or community service as an alternative to fines, fees, …
Ohio Bench Card: Collection of Court Costs and Fines in Adult Trial Courts
This bench card provides guidance to judges regarding the imposition and collection of court costs and fines. The benchcard provides that a person may be jailed for a willful refusal …
Ohio Bench Card: Collection of Fines and Fees in Juvenile Court
The bench card provides guidance to judges on how to determine a juvenile’s ability to pay, and outlines the circumstances unique to juveniles that must be considered before punishing a …
Case Studies in Indiana Community Corrections Fines and Fees
The experiences of four people involved in court-ordered community service programs in Indiana highlight the costs people are expected to pay and the variation of costs assessed between different people.
Work, Pay, or Go to Jail: Court-Ordered Community Service In Los Angeles
This report provides the findings from the first in-depth study of a large-scale court-ordered community service system in modern-day America. The authors examined the experiences of about 5,000 people who were ordered to perform community service by the Los Angeles Superior Court between 2013 and 2014.
Proportionate Financial Sanctions: Policy Prescriptions for Judicial Reform
In this report, the Criminal Justice Policy Program (CJPP) at Harvard Law School proposes a framework where courts would impose means-adjusted fines as a proportionate sentence for an offense. The authors assert that by adopting the proposed recommendations, courts can ease or prevent the worst harms that excessive financial sanctions create for poor people without waiting for legislative reforms.
Payment Plans As A Compliance Tool: Best Practices For Florida Courts
his brief describes the various ways in which payment plans are administered inconsistently across Florida’s counties. The author argues that these conflicting procedures breed confusion among people who have court debt, especially those who owe money to courts in different jurisdictions.