Local Reforms Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

D.C. parking, traffic tickets snowball into financial hardships

The Washington Post analyzed patterns of moving violations from red light cameras, parking tickets and police stops between 2016 and 2021 in the District of Columbia. The article highlights findings …

How to Use Budgets to Understand Criminal Justice Fines and Fees

The Vera Institute of Justice published a toolkit to help advocates analyze local budgets to better understand the impact of fines and fees and where reforms are needed. The publication …

The Impact of Criminal Court and Prison Fines and Fees in Philadelphia

Over the course of the last year, Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) worked to pursue fine and fee reform as a member of the Cities and Counties …

Baltimore will no longer prosecute drug possession, prostitution, low-level crimes

The State’s Attorney’s Office made permanent its policy of declining to prosecute low-level offenses including minor traffic violations, first implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19 behind bars. Recently, the …

Suffolk County District Attorney Declines to Prosecute Low Level Offenses

The Suffolk County District Attorney implemented a policy of presumptively dismissing, or diverting and treating as a civil infraction, certain charges including operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked …

Dallas County Drops Jail Phone Call Cost to $.01 per Minute

Dallas County commissioners voted to reduce the cost of jail phone calls to 1 cent per minute. The new rate is a 95% reduction in costs, making it the lowest …

Driving for Opportunity Act of 2021

The act permits the Attorney General to make grants to states in order to cover the costs of reinstating driver’s licenses previously suspended for unpaid fines and fees. The bill …

Seattle receives national recognition for preventing crashes with lower speed limits

The Seattle Department of Transportation recently reduced speed limits to 25 mph, resulting in a 22 percent decrease in crashes. In addition to reducing speed limits, the city increased speed …

Online Traffic Adjudication and Ability to Pay Annual Report

The Pilot Program for Online Adjudication of Infraction Violations allows qualified California litigants to request reductions in traffic infraction fines and fees in 8 pilot courts, remotely. This report provides …

Seattle Discretionary Fines and Fees Rule Change

Seattle Municipal Court judges voted unanimously to eliminate all discretionary fines and fees imposed in criminal cases. Judges recognize the financial harms caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to …