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Criminal Justice

The criminal justice system and the collateral consequences that flow from it disproportionately harm low-income people and people of color. NCLC uses consumer law tools to stop abusive practices perpetrated against justice-involved people, including imposition of unaffordable fines and fees, debt-based barriers to criminal record clearing, harsh debt collection tactics, and predatory profiteering by public and private actors that impose unfair charges on captive consumers.

Key Topics

Background Checks

Fighting inaccurate and discriminatory criminal background checks that are a bar to jobs and housing.

Consumer Issues for Justice-Involved Individuals

Working to stop unfair financial practices in the criminal justice system and to ease re-entry.

Criminal Justice Debt, Fines & Fees

Addressing harmful debts resulting from criminal justice system involvement.

Featured

Recent Resources

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Letter to the California State Assembly in Support of The End Debtor’s Prison Act (AB 1266 – Kalra)

April 14, 2023

Request to Bureau of Prisons to Not Move Forward with Proposed Changes to “Inmate Financial Responsibility Program” Until It Responds to FOIA Request

April 4, 2023

Letter Supporting California’s AB 1186, The REPAIR Act, on Youth Restitution

March 23, 2023

Advocates Call for Bureau of Prisons to Ditch Proposal to Allow Seizing Prison Wages and Family Support

March 14, 2023

Comments to the Bureau of Prisons’ on its Proposed Rule Regarding the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program

March 13, 2023

The Freedom Side Podcast: Caroline Cohn discusses junk fees & mass incarceration

March 2, 2023

Group Comments to FTC Regarding Unfair or Deceptive Fees

February 8, 2023

Biden Administration, FTC Must Crack Down on “Junk Fees” in Criminal Justice System

February 8, 2023

Letter to Treasury Regarding Tax Offset of EITC and CTC Benefits and Implications for Justice-Involved Individuals

February 7, 2023

Comments & Letters

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Request to Bureau of Prisons to Not Move Forward with Proposed Changes to “Inmate Financial Responsibility Program” Until It Responds to FOIA Request

April 4, 2023

Comments to the Bureau of Prisons’ on its Proposed Rule Regarding the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program

March 13, 2023

Group Comments to FTC Regarding Unfair or Deceptive Fees

February 8, 2023

Letter to Treasury Regarding Tax Offset of EITC and CTC Benefits and Implications for Justice-Involved Individuals

February 7, 2023

Letter Regarding the FCC’s Draft Order Addressing Carceral Communications

September 21, 2022

Group Letter to Congress in Support of the Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act

September 19, 2022

Letter to Gov. Newsom Requesting Signature on Keep Families Connected Act

September 2, 2022

Group Letter Urging the FCC to Reduce Phone Call Costs for People Who Are Incarcerated and to Ensure Accessible Communications for Incarcerated People with Disabilities

December 17, 2021

Coalition Letter to the U.S. House Urging Passage of the Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act

October 6, 2021

Reports

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Sentenced to a Life of Debt: It Is Time for a Reassessment of How Bankruptcy Law Intersects with Fines and Fees to Keep People in Debt

February 16, 2022

Report: Broken Records Redux

December 10, 2019

Confronting Criminal Justice Debt: A Guide for Policy Reform

September 6, 2016

Issue Briefs

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2023 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

January 13, 2023

Zombie Records: How Sealed or Expunged Court Records in Tenant & Employment Screening Reports May Illegally Cost People Jobs & Housing

June 29, 2022

Criminal Justice Debt: 2022 Federal Priorities

March 1, 2022

Criminal Justice Debt: 2021 Federal Priorities

January 12, 2021

Stabilizing Consumer Finances During and After the Coronavirus Crisis in California

May 19, 2020

What States Can Do to Help Consumers: Criminal Justice Debt

September 20, 2019

Testimony

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Letter to the California State Assembly in Support of The End Debtor’s Prison Act (AB 1266 – Kalra)

April 14, 2023

Letter Supporting California’s AB 1186, The REPAIR Act, on Youth Restitution

March 23, 2023

Testimony of Ariel Nelson Before the Maryland House Economic Matters Committee in Support of H.B. 251

January 24, 2022

Testimony in Support of MA S. 1559

November 2, 2021

Testimony of NCLC Staff Attorney Ariel Nelson Supporting CT HB 6528

March 4, 2021

Maryland Testimony: Promoting Accuracy in Background Checks and Tenant Screening

February 3, 2021

Press Releases

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Advocates Call for Bureau of Prisons to Ditch Proposal to Allow Seizing Prison Wages and Family Support

March 14, 2023

Biden Administration, FTC Must Crack Down on “Junk Fees” in Criminal Justice System

February 8, 2023

Advocates Applaud Passage of the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022

December 22, 2022

Prison and Jail Phone Justice Advocates Applaud FCC’s Action to Affirm Rights for People with Disabilities

September 29, 2022

New Report Finds Incarcerated Federal Student Loan Borrowers Systematically Denied Access to Student Loan Relief

July 27, 2022

The High Cost of a Fresh Start: New Report Examines Court Debt as a Barrier to Clearing a Conviction Record

February 14, 2022

NCLC Advocates Applaud CFPB’s Action to Protect Consumers from False Identification by Background Screening Companies

November 4, 2021

New Report: Using Bankruptcy to Discharge Criminal Justice Debt 

October 8, 2020

National Consumer Law Center Advocates’ Statement Regarding U.S. House Passage of HEROES Act

May 15, 2020

Amicus Briefs

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Amicus Brief in Mendoza v. Strickler

December 8, 2022

Amicus Brief in Oregon v. Dunham

October 19, 2022

Amicus Brief in Pearson v. Hodgson

October 12, 2021

Amicus Brief: BBBB Bonding Corp. v. Caldwell

August 5, 2021

Amicus Brief in Scholl v. Mnuchin

August 21, 2020