Fines and Fees Justice Center
The Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC) is a national hub for research, advocacy, and collaboration for the reform of fines and fees.
- Federal funding cuts have left states & cities scrambling to pay the cost of essential services like Medicaid & SNAP. Under that pressure, lawmakers too often turn to fines & fees — a choice that harms families, worsens inequity, & fails to deliver real revenue. 🧵
- Fines & fees hit families hardest, forcing households already stretched thin to choose between paying court debt or basic needs. Meanwhile, the revenue often doesn't materialize, leaving budget gaps unfilled & governments spending more on collections than they bring in. 🧵
- As federal cuts shift more costs onto states, FFJC’s Alejandra Davila teamed up with Michael Mitchell from @centeronbudget.bsky.social to examine why relying on fines & fees will only deepen the damage for communities & government budgets. 🔗 More from @thehill.com: tinyurl.com/3n8a5v2k
- The US Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Ellingburg v. U.S. held that federal restitution is punishment. Though framed as an Ex Post Facto case, the Court’s reasoning undercuts the long held assumption that state-imposed & state-enforced restitution is merely compensatory.
- Courts have long declined to apply constitutional limits to restitution. This classification opens the door for further constitutional scrutiny of the practices that have trapped far too many in unpayable restitution debt. 💡 Read the Court’s opinion: tinyurl.com/3m74zvme
