Access to Justice Spotlight: Fines & Fees
In April 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Office of Justice Programs, and Office for Access to Justice issued a revised Dear Colleague Letter, which detailed seven …
Courts as Revenue Centers
Waiving Criminal Court Fees Prevents Harms of Civil Debt
North Carolina law allows judges to order the conversion of financial obligations to civil judgments. Although doing this may protect justice-involved people from driver’s license suspensions, an extension of probation, …
The Government Revenue, Recidivism, and Financial Health Effects of Criminal Fines and Fees
Beginning January 1st, 2014, Wisconsin imposed a $200 surcharge on misdemeanor defendants found guilty in the Milwaukee Circuit Court. This paper examines the economic impact of the mandatory surcharge and its …
Understanding the Landscape of Fines, Restitution, and Fees for Criminal Convictions in Minnesota
In Minnesota, being charged and convicted of a crime can lead to a number of consequences, including arrest, incarceration, or probation, in addition to the often less visible financial consequences. …
Predatory Fines and Fees: Revenue, Fiscal Contrition, and Policy Change
Some local jurisdictions are beginning to grapple with the social costs and individual harms associated with monetary sanctions and how they can become less reliant on them. This report clarifies …
Litigation Victory Signals End to California Courts’ Illegal Late Fees That Penalized Poverty for Profit – $550 Million to $1 Billion Erased
For years, California courts have burdened low-income people with unlawful civil assessments. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, ACLU Foundation of Northern California, and …
Debt Sentence: How Fines And Fees Hurt Working Families
This report shares the results of a national survey of over 5,600 adults to see how court-imposed fines and fees affect people across the country.
Which Town and Village Courts Collect The Most Fines and Fees in NY And CNY?
According to the State Comptroller’s Office, in 2022, New York’s nearly 1,200 towns and villages collected $189 million in fines, fees, and surcharges from traffic tickets, penalties imposed in criminal …
How Fines and Fees Impact Families: Can Policies like the Child Tax Credit Help?
Low-income families burdened by court-imposed financial penalties often turn to high cost predatory services or forgo basic needs to avoid further legal consequences for nonpayment. In 2021, the Child Tax …
Police Killings and Municipal Reliance on Fine-and-Fee Revenue
Between 2016 and 2021, more than 400 unarmed people were killed by police during traffic stops. In addition, metropolitan areas that rely more on revenue from fines and fees experience …