Policing-for-profit Archives - Fines and Fees Justice Center

The Conservative Case For Fines And Fees Reform

The current criminal and civil fine and fee system in the United States should concern conservatives. This report shows how this system violates four core conservative principles: individual freedom and …

Investigation of the Lexington Police Department and the City of Lexington, Mississippi

On September 26, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a report concluding that the City of Lexington, Mississippi, and the Lexington Police Department (LPD) engaged “in a pattern …

Hidden Price of Justice: Fines and Fees in DC’s Criminal Legal System

The use of criminal legal fines and fees to to fill state and local budgetary gaps has deep roots in a history of anti-Black racism. That history is evident in …

Redesigning Public Safety: Substance Use

Many people who use drugs are also involved in the criminal legal system and have to pay fines and fees. Fines are often used to deter and punish drug use, …

Post-Ferguson Class Action Suits Challenging Fine and Fee Schemes in Missouri

Post-Ferguson Class Action Suits Challenging Fine and Fee Schemes in Missouri In 2014, when a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri shot and killed Michael Brown, the City of Ferguson …

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 …

Revenue, Race, and the Potential Unintended Consequences of Traffic Enforcement Reform

Highly publicized killings of people by law enforcement during traffic stops have led to a growing interest in traffic enforcement reform. While some see automated traffic enforcement and unarmed civilian …

Police Killings and Municipal Reliance on Fine-and-Fee Revenue

Between 2016 and 2021, more than 400 unarmed people were killed by police during traffic stops. In addition, metropolitan areas that rely more on revenue from fines and fees experience …

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 …