Warrant Strategy
Managing old warrants aged anywhere from 5 to 25 years contributes to significant backlogs in the legal system. This report highlights Cook County’s strategic efforts to address a backlog of …
Local Reforms
In the Rearview Mirror: St. Louis’s Municipal Courts After a Decade of Reform and Regress
Ten years ago, the death of Michael Brown ignited the Ferguson Uprising, bringing to light systemic injustices in municipal courts across St. Louis County. In the wake of this tragedy, …
Wilmington Fines and Fees Task Force Findings and Recommendations
Lower-income residents in Wilmington face financial hardship as the costs and fees from the city rise. In 2022, the Wilmington City Council created the Fines and Fees Task Force to …
Washtenaw County Fines and Fees Justice Report
In August of 2022, Washtenaw County was selected to participate in the Cities and Counties for Fines and Fees Justice (CCFFJ) cohort led by the Fines and Fees Justice Center, …
Better for Everyone: Repairing Harm for Crime Survivors and Young People: San Francisco’s New Approach to Youth Restitution
The purpose of juvenile restitution is to financially compensate the crime survivor for their loss and to hold the young person accountable for their actions. In San Francisco, crime survivors …
Locked Out: How DC Bans Workers with Unpaid Fines from More than 125 Jobs or Starting a Business, and What We Can Do About It
Under DC’s Clean Hands Law, residents can be automatically denied occupational and small business licenses if they owe the District more than $100 in unpaid fines, fees or taxes. This …
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 …
The Ultimate Connecting Families Campaign Guide
Worth Rises is an advocacy organization working to dismantle the prison industry and end the exploitation of incarcerated people and their loved ones, and the lead organizer of the national …
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 …
2022 Final Report to the Governor, Legislature, and Supreme Court
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 …