Public Safety Archives - Page 6 of 11 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Living with Conviction: Sentenced To Debt For Life In Washington State

Through storytelling and legal empowerment, Living with Conviction: Sentenced to Debt for Life in Washington State partners with formerly incarcerated individuals to advocate for the end of onerous legal financial …

Traffic Tickets Plunged in Florida. It May Mean Painful Budget Cuts for Many Services

Florida’s dependence on fines and fees revenue has led to budget cuts for many services as traffic tickets have plunged since March 2020. Revenue from mostly traffic tickets helps pay …

Fees, Fines and Criminal Justice In Tennessee: How It All Works and Why It Matters

In Tennessee, fines and fees are used as both a punishment and a way to fund the justice system and other specific services. This report details the fines and fees …

The Price of Justice: Fines, Fees and the Criminalization of Poverty in the United States

Mass incarceration and the rising cost of the justice system correlate with the high number and value of fines and fees imposed throughout the justice system. As federal funding for …

The Relationship Between Debt and Crime: A Systematic and Scoping Review

In a first of its kind, this study explores the relationship between debt and crime among adolescents and adults. The two-part study includes a systematic review of five studies that …

Misaligned incentives and the scale of incarceration in the United States

In 1996, California passed the California Juvenile Justice Realignment bill (SB 681) which made counties responsible for a higher cost to incarcerate youths in California Youth Authority (CYA) facilities. Data …

Local Government Dependence on Criminal Justice Revenue and Emerging Constraints

Across the nation, local governments use the criminal justice system to balance their budgets through fines, fees, costs, assessments, and forfeitures. Many have become dependent on criminal justice revenue to …

Fines, Fees and Police Divestment: Statement and Policy Recommendations

Across the country, people are demanding that the government divest from law enforcement and invest in communities of color that have been over-policed and under-served. Any discussion of shrinking the …

Probation and Monetary Sanctions in Georgia: Evidence from a Multi-Method Study

This article analyzes how monetary sanctions and probation supervision intersect in Georgia. Using data and interviews, gathered between 2015 and 2018, the authors find substantial variation between jurisdictions in the …

Day Fines Systems: Lessons from Global Practice

Many European countries use day fines as an alternative to short-term incarceration. With day fines, fines are proportional to a defendant’s income, allowing for higher fines for wealthy offenders and …