Imposing Instability: How Court Fines and Fees Destabilize Government Budgets and Criminalize Those Who Cannot Pay - Fines and Fees Justice Center

We’re excited to share that @detroitjusticecen.bsky.social is hosting a public screening of #FinedOut — followed by two panels on how communities are fighting for reform. 📍LOVE Building – 4731 Grand River Ave. Detroit ⏰9/23 | 6 PM 🎟️ Free admission 🔗 Register today: finedout.com/events

For thousands of New Mexicans leaving prison, monthly parole fees — ranging from $25 to $150 — were a major barrier to successful reintegration. But thanks to #SB375, returning citizens can look forward to a fresh start, free from parole fee debt. 👉 tinyurl.com/4usvnku3

Bench warrants should never be used to collect debt. In 5 years, 13 states issued 2.5 M warrants for unpaid fines & fees. This approach drains resources from communities, courts, & law enforcement — all to chase down court debt from people who can’t pay. 💡 tinyurl.com/msewyk3j

Rather than addressing the root causes of harm, our system’s overreliance on fines and fees drains resources, harms public health, & deepens inequality — especially for low-income communities and people of color. It’s time for a new approach. 👉 tinyurl.com/58pdd4yt

Results for America’s new strategy guide explores how #FinesAndFees reform can expand equity & economic mobility — & urges lawmakers to consider: 🔹 Waiving old court debt 🔹 Expunging minor offenses 🔹 Exploring alternative government funding sources 💡 tinyurl.com/3ba2kn5f

After Ryan received his first speeding ticket, he remembers paying the $61 he was assessed in full, in cash, & in person. This July, he was arrested and jailed — all over $61 in *potentially outstanding* debt. It doesn’t have to be this way. 🔗 @thenewmexican.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/25ah8fnf

America’s enforcement-only approach to public safety is failing our communities. Instead of making us safer, our system's reliance on fines & fees drains police resources, harms public health, and destabilizes working families. It’s time for a new approach. 👇 tinyurl.com/58pdd4yt

📢 We’re Hiring! 📢 FFJC is seeking a solutions-oriented #Operations Associate to help keep our systems running smoothly as we advance fines & fees reform. If you're organized, proactive, & passionate about economic justice — we want to hear from you! 👉 Apply now: tinyurl.com/5n7c2dbv

Data is key to reform. But in Kentucky, that data is often missing, incomplete, or withheld. With the state spending 40¢+ to collect just $1 in fines & fees, there’s clearly a problem. But without transparency, lawmakers can’t fully grasp the harms of this broken system. tinyurl.com/bdcsc8fj

Even as they charge more, courts collect less from fines & fees every year. 📉 From FY18–FY22, collections fell by 33% & didn't rebound post-COVID. This decline spells trouble for governments, whose reliance on fines & fees is both unjust & unsustainable. 💡 tinyurl.com/2v59rbhk

New York's recent move to make prison phone calls free will save families $13M every year! For years, staying connected with a loved one behind bars posed impossible choices: groceries, rent, or a phone call? But now, those calls will come without a price tag. 🗽 tinyurl.com/4ea342dy

#HB1460 is more than a policy change — it’s a shift in philosophy. For years, OK’s fees hurt families, weakened the state’s economy, & eroded trust. This new law ends several fees, helping refocus the state's legal system on justice — not revenue generation. 🎥 tinyurl.com/4ynjm3s9

Yesterday, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt hosted a ceremonial signing for #HB1460 – a new law that eliminates a wide range of fees that trapped Oklahomans in debt for years, from charges for electronic monitoring and indigent applications to district attorney fees, which judges can now waive. 🧵

JUST IN: Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt just hosted a ceremonial signing for #HB1460, the broadest Republican-led fee elimination bill in US history. For years, fees weakened OK’s economy, eroded public trust, & trapped its residents in a cycle of debt. 💡 tinyurl.com/3phrs4t3

Big news! Last week, Illinois @govpritzker.illinois.gov signed a new law ending school-based ticketing — a practice that unjustly harmed vulnerable youth. Previously, students could face $200 fines for municipal violations during school hours, on school grounds. 👇 tinyurl.com/289fs7y5

In 5 years, 24 states issued $14B in fines & fees — and 13 states issued 2.5M + bench warrants to collect it. As FFJC’s Tanisha Pierrette told @vanguardnewsgroup.bsky.social, “if we had the full national landscape, we believe this number would be more than double.” 💡 tinyurl.com/3e277e2v

On 7/1, Alexis Cardenas was arrested over a 10 year old traffic violation. The charges were dismissed the next day, but Alexis never made it home. On 7/8, he died in the custody of Harris County Jail. This should never have happened. 🧵 🔗 @houstonchronicle.com: tinyurl.com/45h42w7y

If caseloads are shrinking, why are fines & fees rising? 🤔 Even as new cases dropped by 20%, court imposition of fines and fees increased by 3%. This dynamic creates perverse incentives for state and local governments, erodes public trust, & exacerbates financial hardship. 💡 tinyurl.com/y7jk5fk6

This month, Louisville’s City Council increased fees to raise $40M for deferred maintenance projects. Jefferson Circuit Court Clerk David Nicholson claims this could extract $1.8 million annually — at the expense of people’s well-being & stability. 🔗 tinyurl.com/26m92bp6

Big news in Wisconsin! 🗳️ This week, @govevers.wisconsin.gov vetoed a bill that would have allowed the state to unjustly block returning citizens from voting due to unpaid fines & fees – even after serving their time & completing supervision. 💡 Read more from WPR: tinyurl.com/ybznz4n7

For returning citizens, critical steps to rebuilding are blocked by unpaid #PayToStay fees related to their incarceration. Those who can’t afford to pay risk more fees, re-arrest, & even the seizure of their family home. 👇 Learn more from @nclc4consumers.bsky.social tinyurl.com/2p9s286d

During a recent @nlada.bsky.social panel, FFJC's Lillian Patil urged lawmakers to think twice before trying to address federal funding with fines & fees. “When you consider the magnitude & kind of federal cuts being made, we have to expect that people… may have an even lower ability to pay.” 🧵

This year, FFJC was proud to help end Nevada’s harmful practice of saddling returning citizens with medical debt upon release — eliminating a major barrier to reentry. For years, this debt drained critical resources from already vulnerable communities. 🔗 tinyurl.com/ycxmh2h7

Fees are hidden taxes that can mean missed rent & skipped meals for already struggling families. If justice is truly the goal of our legal system, we must remove the profit motive from our courts. 👇 Read more about how we can end court reliance on fees: tinyurl.com/5dtajwsh

In nearly every state, prison sentences come with a bill. With most incarcerated people earn pennies an hour, paying #PayToStay fees from behind bars is nearly impossible. Instead, the debt falls on families — and 83% of those paying are women. Learn more from The Grio: tinyurl.com/3s5prtx4

Fees make up the majority of court monetary sanctions, totaling billions annually. 🥴 Court fees are often hidden, confusing, & deeply embedded in state & local government funding. The result? A system that prioritizes revenue generation over justice. 💡 tinyurl.com/5dtajwsh

Washington’s road to retirement is paved with fines & fees. New research reveals that Washington drivers over 50 face rising traffic fines. Despite making up a minority of cases, older adults’ share of traffic cases has increased significantly. 🧵 📘 Read the full study: tinyurl.com/35nce796

🚨 BIG NEWS: Last week, @councilofdc.bsky.social passed a reform ending automatic professional license denials for workers with unpaid traffic fines & fees — a huge step for economic opportunity & stability in DC. Thank you @tzedekdc.bsky.social for leading this reform! 💡 tinyurl.com/nd5tb22e

Nearly every US state requires incarcerated people to pay for their own imprisonment. But with most earning pennies an hour, these costs rarely get paid from behind bars. Instead, the debt falls on families — and is crushing Black women. 🔗 @axios.com: tinyurl.com/5ee6y2xm

Join us today for a timely @nlada.bsky.social panel on how looming federal funding cuts could impact state & local budgets — possibly pressuring lawmakers to recoup lost revenue via fines & fees that unjustly harm low-income, Black & Brown communities. 👉 tinyurl.com/4admbc6d

Governments shouldn’t bankrupt families to bankroll themselves. 🙅 But in 5 years, 24 states imposed $14B in #FinesAndFees – often on those least able to pay. This approach has turned our courts into revenue machines that put budgets over fairness.

Kentucky is a minefield of #FinesAndFees that can lead to harsh consequences – including jail time – for people who can’t pay. A new report from @kypolicy.bsky.social exposes how this convoluted system drains vital resources from the communities that need them most. (1/2)

🚨Major federal funding cuts are on the table. Join FFJC Sr. Budget Analyst Lillian Patil for a timely @nlada.bsky.social A panel on how these cuts could impact state & local budgets – pushing lawmakers to recoup their losses via harmful fines & fees. 👉 Register: tinyurl.com/4admbc6d

How can advocates use national data on fine and fee impositions to drive local action? In a new blog series, we’re breaking down how to leverage insights from FFJC’s #ImposingInstability report to build power, drive reform, & deliver relief to our communities. tinyurl.com/3stmwwek

To develop effective solutions, policymakers & advocates need a full understanding of how fines and fees function – or malfunction. Without transparent, detailed data, policy becomes guesswork. Still, in most places, this data is missing, partial, or deliberately withheld. 💡 tinyurl.com/3jt7kamj

🎉 BIG NEWS: Prison phone calls in New York will be FREE as of August 1! With this change, families with loved ones incarcerated in NY prisons can expect to save an $13 million annually — money that too often comes at the expense of groceries, rent, & family stability. 💡 tinyurl.com/mvc5w26v

Lawmakers can deliver real relief by discharging old court debt. 💸 Clearing old #FinesAndFees debt isn’t just about financial relief – it reduces administrative costs, promotes economic stability, & lowers people’s risk of entanglement in the legal system. 💡tinyurl.com/3jt7kamj

Criminalizing debt doesn’t make us safer. 🙅 When courts issue bench warrants for unpaid #FinesAndFees, they fail to address the real issue: ability to pay. Bench warrants should *only* be used when public safety is at risk – not as a debt collection tool. 💡tinyurl.com/3jt7kamj

🚨NEW REPORT from @finesandfeesjc.bsky.social🚨 Imposing Instability — put together by FFJC's incredible #Policy & #Research team — shows just how much economic harm states inflict on communities, how little they collect, and the devastating consequences. finesandfeesjusticecenter.org/articles/imp...

📉 With court collections declining over the past 5 years, it’s clear that government reliance on #FinesAndFees isn’t just risky – it’s unsustainable. 📘 Head to our new report, #ImposingInstability, to explore smarter funding options for lawmakers to consider! tinyurl.com/3jt7kamj

From 2019-2021, New Mexico suspended over 183,000 driver’s licenses all because the person could not afford to pay their court debt or missed a court hearing. But in 2023, the state changed the rules — and changed lives through the passage of #SB47. 🎥 tinyurl.com/mp4knrhn

💰In 24 states, $14 BILLION in #FinesAndFees has been piled onto people over the past 5 years. Due to underreporting, outdated systems, & poor transparency, the real total is likely higher. On average, more than half of this debt comes from justice fees. 💡 tinyurl.com/3jt7kamj

The data is clear: fines and fees don’t deliver justice — they impose instability. ⛔ For decades, our state & local governments have relied on #FinesAndFees to fill budget gaps – extracting money from people drawn into our criminal, juvenile, traffic, and municipal courts. 🧵

Last year, the FCC unanimously adopted the Martha Wright-Reed Just & Reasonable Communications Act – a major step in lowering the cost of staying connected behind bars. The new rules capped video & phone calls rates, and cut excessive fees from prisons & jails nationwide.

For those reentering society, freedom comes with strings attached. Nearly every state allows jails & prisons to bill people for their own incarceration. From room & board to medical costs, these #PayToStay fees tether people to the system they’ve already paid their debt to. @dylanhayre.bsky.social

🎉 Big news! This week, @bostoncitycouncil.bsky.social passed a resolution backing the #RoadToOpportunityAct, a key step toward ending MA’s unjust debt-based license suspensions. This momentum follows a joint hearing where FFJC testified in strong support of this bill. @clrhenrysantana.bsky.social

“Debtors’ prison” for drivers? That’s how @bostonglobe.com’s Editorial Board describes Massachusetts’ policy of suspending driver’s licenses over unpaid traffic fines and fees. 💡 tinyurl.com/4jajc4ez @juliancyr.bsky.social 👇

Nothing in last year’s Supreme Court Grants Pass ruling suggests that a $300 fine for sleeping outside is constitutional. The Court only addressed whether cities could create penalties — not whether those penalties, particularly excessive fines and fees, were constitutional. 🧵

Massachusetts’ debt-based license suspensions leave many with no choice but to keep driving, risking more fees & even jail, just to provide for their families. This hardship isn’t inevitable. It’s the product of short-sighted policy lawmakers can fix by passing the #RoadToOpportunityAct.