Missed court appearances are costly for both court systems and court users. Court users and their families may be assessed fines, arrested or serve jail time, while the system pays …
The New Mexico legislature passed a bill eliminating suspensions for failure to pay and failure to appear. The bill also requires the automatic reinstatement of licenses suspended solely for failure …
Low-income people in New Mexico accused of minor crimes are often caught in a vicious cycle where they are jailed because they can’t afford to pay monetary sanctions. In 2018, …
Recommendations by the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration to decrease Michigan’s jail population led to the establishment of the Michigan Jail Reform Advisory Council (JRAC). JRAC …
Each year, over 1 million drivers in Ohio have a suspended license for failure to pay fines and fees. Using surveys, census data, and five years of debt-related suspension data …
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 …
Georgia is one of the few states that criminalize traffic fines and allow localities to outsource misdemeanor probation supervision to private companies that are permitted to charge fees. This article …
California allows courts to charge a civil assessment fee of up to $300 to people who miss a deadline to pay or appear in court. An estimated 300,000 people receive …
The Prosperity Now Scorecard rates states on their progress toward racial economic justice in several policy areas. The 2022 policy update includes an assessment of which states have ended the …
The Alabama legislature recently introduced a bill that would prohibit driver’s license suspensions for failure to pay a fine, fee, court cost or restitution imposed as a result of a …