Racial Disparities Archives - Page 13 of 17 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Stopping the Debt Spiral

This report shares the results of a survey of 304 low-income Illinois residents who were asked about their experience with debt, including criminal justice debt. Respondents disclosed the types of debt they had, the number of debts they owed, and the emotional toll debt takes on their families.

Criminal Justice Debt in the South: A Primer for the Southern Partnership to Reduce Debt

Criminal justice debt places a h eavy burden on low-income families, often making it harder for those who owe to earn a living, trapping them and their families in poverty. …

Pay or Prey: How the Alameda County criminal justice system extracts wealth from marginalized communities

This whitepaper uses evidence-based research and personal narratives to examine the harms caused by Alameda County criminal legal fees.

UNDER PRESSURE: How fines and fees hurt people, undermine public safety, and drive Alabama’s racial wealth divide

This report examines in detail the collateral consequences of Alabama’s court debt system and explores the ways in which it undermines public safety and drives the state’s racial wealth divide.

To Serve and Collect: The Fiscal and Racial Determinants of Law Enforcement

The authors’ completed model predicts that when a local government is experiencing a fiscal crisis, local police departments will increase arrests for “offenses that carry fines or the opportunity to forfeit assets.”

Ten Guidelines on Court Fines and Fees

The American Bar Association developed ten guidelines to ensure that fines and fees do not punish people disproportionately for their poverty.

Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Standing Policy on Juvenile Administrative Fees

In the summer of 2018, New Orleans became the first city in the South to abolish fees charged to youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

Unequal Treatment: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Miami-Dade Criminal Justice

This report discusses the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in the Miami-Dade County criminal justice system.

Predominantly black neighborhoods in D.C. bear the brunt of automated traffic enforcement

Washington, D.C., a member of the International Vision Zero movement, committed itself to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2024 through the implementation of engineering, education, and enforcement strategies. …

Why journalists should cover local jails

In this article for The Poynter Institute, Al Tompkins underscores the importance of journalists covering local jails and suggests several coverage angles that journalists can use to convince readers to care more about incarceration at the local level.