New Research reveals that more than $50 billion in debt from fines and fees is currently being held by approximately 10 million people because of their involvement in the criminal justice system. Activities that trigger fines and fees range from minor offenses such as parking tickets to court fees or other fees associated with children in the juvenile justice system.
Much of this judicial debt is not collected, because low income people simply do not have the money to pay fines and fees; this, in turn, causes state and local governments to spend more on the expense of trying to collect on these fees than what they take in. This vicious cycle disproportionately impacts the most financially vulnerable people and communities and plays a role in the growing racial wealth gap in our country.
Learn how state and local leaders can ensure that judicial fines and fees do not contribute to burdensome debt. Additional resources include two reports, mentioned in the webinar, which are Ending the Debt Trap from PolicyLink, and the Fines and Fees: Task Force Report published by the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector City and County of San Francisco.
