Publications
Fees & Fines
Criminal Justice Debt: A Barrier to Reentry
Cash-strapped states have increasingly turned to user fees to fund their criminal justice systems, as well as to provide general budgetary support. States now charge defendants for everything from probation supervision, to jail stays, to the use of a constitutionally-required public defender. Every stage of the criminal justice process, it seems, has become ripe for a surcharge.
Authored by: Alicia Bannon, Mitali Nagrecha, Rebekah Diller
– 10/04/10
The Hidden Costs of Florida’s Criminal Justice Fees
Authored by: Rebekah Diller
– 03/23/10
Maryland’s Parole Supervision Fee: A Barrier to Reentry
Parolees from whom the state seeks to subsidize its coffers are often struggling to get by at the most basic level. This publication notes the fees drive people into debt, do little to fund the state, and severely affect recidivism. This study offers key findings as well as recommendations to correct the problem.
Authored by: Rebekah Diller, Judith Greene, & Michelle Jacobs
– 03/23/09
Smart on Crime
Transition Document: A coalition of more than 20 organizations, including the Brennan Center for Justice, and individuals created this publication of a catalogue of key criminal justice issues and policy recommendations for the next administration and congress.
Authored by: Criminal Justice Transition Coalition
– 11/06/08
Sentencing for Dollars: The Financial Consequences of a Criminal Conviction
Driven by a combination of philosophical purposes—punishment, reparation, cost recovery, revenue production and cost shifting—local governments, states and the federal government have come to impose a vast array of fines, fees, costs, penalties, surcharges, forfeitures, assessments, reimbursements and restitutions that are levied against people convicted of criminal offenses.
Authored by: Alan Rosenthal and Marsha Weissman
– 02/01/07
Repaying Debts
A guide for legislators, administrators of corrections and community corrections agencies, court officials, victim advocates, child support enforcement officials, social service providers, and others who have an interest in the repayment of debts owed by people released from prisons and jails.
Authored by: Bureau of Justice Assistance
– 01/01/07
The New York Bar Re-entry Report Chapter on Fees and Fines
The financial penalties imposed, directly or indirectly, as a result of a criminal conviction, are among the least recognized of the collateral consequences. New York and the federal government have developed a vast array of fines, fees, costs, penalties, surcharges, forfeitures, assessments, and restitutions that are levied against people convicted of criminal offenses.
Authored by: Special Committee on Collateral Consequences of Criminal Proceedings
– 06/01/06