Who Does America Want?
This paper details the fines and fees imposed on people for traffic offenses in Connecticut, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia, and immigration-related fees imposed on people seeking citizenship in the US.
Traffic Fines and Fees
New York’s Ferguson Problem- How the state’s racist fee system punishes poverty, lacks transparency, and is overdue for reform
This paper shows how New York’s criminal justice fines and fees practices worsen racial disparities and punish low-income people.
Hawaii SB2630: Relating to Monetary Obligations
This bill eliminates provisions restricting a person’s ability to obtain or renew a driver’s license, registration, or title due to the nonpayment of traffic fines and fees. Previously, Hawaii did …
Amendment of Chicago Municipal Code Titles 2, 3, 4, 7,8,9,10,11,15 at various sections relating to or impacting vehicle impoundment
This ordinance ends the practice of impoundment for many non-driving and non-public safety related offenses including possession of fireworks, possessing spray paint, or loud music. When impoundment is a sanction, …
Oregon House Bill 4210: An act relating to driving privileges
This bill ends Oregon’s practice of suspending driver licenses for nonpayment of traffic tickets. The provisions of this bill are effective beginning October 1, 2020. You can read the full …
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 …
Advancing Financial Justice in San Francisco: The Experience and Lessons of the City’s Financial Justice Project
This paper summarizes the lessons, successes, and challenges of the San Francisco Financial Justice Project, especially concerning criminal justice fines and fees reform.
Salience, Incentives, and Timely Compliance: Evidence from Speeding Tickets
As monetary sanctions in law enforcement have become increasingly more prevalent and their budgetary significance non-trivial, little is known about why certain behavioral interventions increase compliance in some contexts but …
Municipal Fines and Fees: A 50-State Survey of State Laws
This report, including an interactive map, provides a 50-state analysis of state laws that regulate municipal imposition and collection of fines and fees. The analysis is based on 52 factors, organized into 7 broad categories, that measure the extent to which state laws “prohibit, sustain, encourage or neutralize” municipal reliance on fines and fees.
Driving Toward Justice: How ending driver’s license suspensions for unpaid traffic tickets helps communities without impacting court collections
This brief describes reforms that were implemented after the San Francisco Superior Court’s decision to eliminate debt-based driver’s license suspensions.