Fine & Fee Initiative
State and local governments are overly reliant on fine and fee revenue from the criminal justice system.
Since 2010, most states have increased civil and/or criminal fees assessed on defendants. As a result, more individuals unable to pay face jail time and often accumulate debt that can never be repaid. These streams of revenue are typically “high pain” for the financial burdens that they impose, and “low gain” given the difficulty in collection.
There is a growing movement to reduce or eliminate this revenue source, as more policymakers view criminal justice fines and fees for what they are — a regressive “poor tax” that often has a disparate impact on Black and Latinx communities.
With philanthropic support from Arnold Ventures, we have worked with local governments to conduct some of the first comprehensive reviews at the county level. In Ramsey County, Minnesota, our work has led to the elimination of eleven fees by the County Board of Commissioners.
In partnership with the National Association of Counties (NACo).
Technical Assistance Grant
In June 2019, the Center announced three major U.S. counties as partners in an effort to reduce or eliminate their reliance on criminal fines and fees as a revenue source. Three counties — Ramsey County (Minnesota), Nashville-Davidson County (Tennessee), and Dallas County (Texas) — were selected through a competitive process to receive technical assistance from the Center, made possible by a $1.2 million Arnold Ventures grant.
Click below to read the final reports:
Ramsey County
Nashville-Davidson County
Dallas County
County Profiles
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Population: 547,974
Serving as the county seat to the state capital, St. Paul, Ramsey County is the geographically smallest and most densely populated county in Minnesota, as well as one of the most densely populated counties in the U.S. Criminal fine and fee reform was heavily supported by County leadership, including County Manager Ryan O’Connor, the Board of Commissioners, and additional other high-level policy and finance leaders. Fines and fees are part of a larger County effort to increase equity; during the application process, County officials referred to reducing fines and fees as a way to address racial equity in the justice system, and to more broadly address the intersection of public health and justice.
Prior to joining the Fines and Fees Initiative, Ramsey County demonstrated its commitment to addressing this issue. In 2017, the Sheriff’s Office eliminated a $25 per day booking fee at the Adult Detention Center that had only a 25% collection rate, and in 2018, the Court eliminated its bail schedule altogether, moving the basis for bail determination to a standardized risk assessment tool, rather than predetermined offense amounts. Also in 2018, Community Corrections reduced its supervision fee 50% (from $300 to $150) for clients on administrative probation for DWI offenses, and added an option to waive fees for people who have completed probation.
Our work in Ramsey County has resulted in the elimination of eleven fees by the County Board of Commissioners in 2020.
Dallas County, Texas
Population: 2,622,799
The largest of the Center’s three “Fines and Fees” pilot jurisdictions, Dallas County ranks as the second most populous county in Texas (and the ninth in the entire country) with over 2.6 million residents. During the application process and throughout the stages of this effort, Dallas County has exhibited strong executive support. County Judge Clay Jenkins identified fine and fee reform as a top priority, on par with bail reform, which the county is currently pursuing as well.
Prior to joining the Fines and Fees Initiative, Dallas County had already begun to address the financial impact of the criminal justice system on defendants and their families. In 2017, the Texas legislature passed SB 1913, which took steps to reduce debts on, and detention of, low-income people unable to pay standard criminal fines and fees. In 2018, a federal judge issued a temporary order to Dallas County, giving them 30 days to stop imposing pre-set bail bond amounts. In response, the County implemented a new risk assessment tool and invested in its Pretrial department to ensure that individuals eligible for no- or low-cost release can secure release. Finally, since Judge Jenkins took office in 2011, he has taken a primary role in addressing fines related to truancy by first ordering that magistrates reduce the maximum fine imposed on families, then supporting state legislation to decriminalize truancy, thereby eliminating all fines.
Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee
Population: 691,243
The capital and largest city in Tennessee, Nashville is the county seat of Davidson County and operates under a consolidated city-county government. The County’s commitment to reform as well as its history of innovative data collection and sharing made them a strong applicant for the Center’s Fines and Fees Initiative. County leadership framed this effort as a move towards equitable and sustainable revenue streams, and ensuring economic empowerment and upward mobility among all residents, particularly low-income communities and communities of color.
In the years prior to joining the Fines and Fees Initiative, Nashville supported or launched a number of local initiatives related to equity and inclusion. A 2017 report by Nashville’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee recommended an impact analysis of court fines, fees, and taxes as one way to increase financial literacy, empowerment and capability for residents. And in the following year (2018), the County made several strides forward including eliminating a $44 per day jail fee and launching an initiative called “Steering Clear” a cross-departmental driver license diversion program to reduce caseload, reduce arrests, and reduce fines. In the four months after the launch of Steering Clear, driver license citations dropped 54 percent.
