Courts as Revenue Centers Archives - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Part 3 – State and Local Budgets Should Not Be Financially Dependent on Crime

By Tanisha Pierrette, Senior Research Analyst & Lillian Patil, Senior Analyst, State & Local Budgets This is part 3 of our six-part blog series, Reforming the Revenue Machine: An Advocate’s …

Part 2 – Exposing Fee Traps: Tracking Court Costs in Your Community

By Tanisha Pierrette, Senior Research Analyst This is part 2 of our six-part blog series, Reforming the Revenue Machine: An Advocate’s Guide to to Court Fines and Fees. Each post …

Part 1 – Translating National Data Into Local Action

By Tanisha Pierrette, Senior Research Analyst This is part 1 of our six-part blog series, Reforming the Revenue Machine: An Advocate’s Guide to to Court Fines and Fees. Each post …

Reforming the Revenue Machine: An Advocate’s Guide to Court Fines and Fees

This multi-part blog series will help advocates translate the data found in Imposing Instability into actionable messaging and steps you can use in campaigns for reform. Each blog will highlight key takeaways, connect national trends to what’s happening on the ground, and offer strategies to push for reform in your own community.

The Road to Debtors’ Probation: How Criminalizing Traffic Violations Increases State Control and Inequality in Georgia

In Georgia, nearly all traffic offenses are classified as misdemeanors, unlike most states that treat them as civil offenses. This study examines how Georgia’s practice of classifying almost all traffic …

The Hidden Web of Criminal Legal System Fines and Fees in Kentucky

Kentucky’s criminal legal system is made up of a complicated network of fines and fees that can be difficult to navigate and lead to devastating consequences for Kentuckians who are …

Should Unpaid Traffic Tickets Lead to Jail Time? This Justice of The Peace Doesn’t Think So.

In Texas, failing to pay fines and fees for low-level traffic offenses can result in arrest warrants. In Harris County, Justice of the Peace Steve Duble has taken a bold …

From Barriers to Bridges: How Fines and Fees Reform Can Help Boost Economic Security

In Georgia, fines and fees imposed by state and local governments in the criminal legal system are a barrier to economic security. This report by the Georgia Budget and Policy …

Legal Financial Obligations in Washington’s Courts: Final Report to the Legislature

Funded by a 2023 budget bill the Washington State Center for Court Research was tasked to study the state’s system of legal financial obligations (LFOs), this report analyzes the imposition, …

The Conservative Case For Fines And Fees Reform

The current criminal and civil fine and fee system in the United States should concern conservatives. This report shows how this system violates four core conservative principles: individual freedom and …