Canaan v. City of El Paso
This case challenged the City of El Paso’s payment policy for Class C misdemeanors – usually parking tickets.
Driver's License Suspension
White House Forum on Access to Justice Panel: Fines & Fees – At the Intersection of Civil and Criminal Justice
In this video recording of a White House Forum on Access to Justice panel, FFJC Co-Director Lisa Foster (then Director of the Office of Access to Justice at the Department of Justice) moderates a panel about how fines and fees in the criminal justice system can lead to a myriad of civil woes for low-income Americans.
West Virginia Senate Bill 634: Second Chance Driver’s License Act
West Virginia Senate Bill 634 established the state’s second chance driver’s license program. The program allows for temporary stays of driver’s license suspensions and revocations so that people who have unpaid fines and fees can retain gainful employment and settle their court debt.
Washington Substitute Senate Bill 6360: Developing a plan for the consolidation of traffic-based financial obligations
This bill invited criminal justice system stakeholders to participate in a work group to develop a plan and program to consolidate drivers’ traffic fines and fees from multiple Washington courts into “unified and affordable” payment plans.
Vermont ACT 147: An act relating to driver’s license suspensions and judicial, criminal justice, and insurance topics
This Act modifies provisions related to driver’s license suspensions. Specifically, it (1) terminates suspensions imposed because of a person’s failure to appear on a criminal traffic offense charged before July 1, 1990.
Who Pays? The True Cost of Incarceration on Families
This report is the result of a collaborative research project from 20 community-based organizations that studied the costs of incarceration on families across 14 states.
California Statewide Traffic Tickets / Infractions Amnesty Program, 2015-2017
California's statewide traffic and misdemeanor amnesty program led to the reinstatement of 246,000 driver's licenses and $45M in new revenue.
Delaware SB 132: Procedures for the suspension, nonrenewal of driver’s licenses for the failure to resolve motor vehicle charges.
This bill provides that driver’s licenses will not be suspended for nonpayment of “minor traffic” fines and fees or for failure to appear in court. However, it does mandate that driver’s licenses cannot be renewed (nor can duplicate licenses be issued) if an individual still owes fines and fees.
Not Just a Ferguson Problem: How Traffic Courts Drive Inequality in California
This 2015 report provides a comprehensive overview of how California’s approach to the enforcement of fines and fees for traffic violations creates a two-tiered justice system—those who can afford to pay escape the system, while those who are too poor to pay are trapped.
Personal Narrative: Maria
Maria was recently terminated from a job in her field of training, green construction, because her license was suspended for unpaid tickets, and she could not drive between job sites. With two kids and no job or savings, she is unable to pay the debt. Because the debt has been referred to a collections agency, she is also prevented from performing community service in lieu of payment. Her previous employer would hire her if her license was reinstated, but without a job or income to pay her debt, she has no way of getting her license back.