Courts as Revenue Centers Archives - Page 3 of 19

Fines and Fees: Consequences and Opportunities for Reform

The utilization of fines and fees in the criminal legal system for revenue generation raises substantial questions regarding equity and may create perverse incentives for government entities dependent on the …

Local Governments Collected $9 Billion in Fines And Fees in 2020

The use of fines and fees to generate revenue can be exploitative and a conflict of interest when relied on as an essential source of revenue. Using data from the …

Broken Rules: Laws Meant to End Debtors’ Prisons are Failing Nebraskans

Nebraska law has safeguards that should prevent people from being incarcerated solely because they cannot afford a fee or fine. Some include statutes that require considering a person’s ability to …

Regressive Revenue Perpetuates Poverty: Why Georgia’s Fines and Fees Need Immediate Reform

More than 300 localities in Georgia use revenue from fines and fees to balance their budgets, and 20 percent do so at rates researchers consider high and abusive. Georgians who …

Increasing Justice In New York: How New York Could Go From Failing to First in the Nation on the Fines and Fees Justice Index

With dozens of fees and fines at every stage of the legal system, New York has created a two-tiered justice system that engulfs low-income people in the criminal legal system. …

Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State: Final Report

Washington state code refers to 376 unique criminal legal financial obligations (LFOs) that stem from misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, or felony convictions. The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) used …

Audit Report Office of the Clerk of Circuit Court Baltimore City, Maryland

Since 2008, five audits by the Office of Legislative Audits have identified deficiencies regarding the collection of delinquent criminal court fees, fines, and penalties by the Clerk of Circuit Court …

Turning the Page: Oklahoma’s Criminal Justice Reform Story

After being named the state with the highest incarceration rate in 2016, Oklahoma made intentional policy changes, reducing its prison population by 21 percent. This report chronicles the progress made …

Alabama Takes From the Poor and Gives to the Rich

To raise taxes in Alabama, cities and counties must go through the state legislature to initiate a constitutional amendment allowing them to pass a law to raise property or income …

U.S. Department of Justice Statement of Interest: Coleman v. Brookside, AL

On July 26, 2022, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a Statement of Interest (SOI) in the case of Coleman v. Brookside, 2:22-cv-00423-RDP, pending in the U.S. District …