Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Debt, Fines & Fees

Debts resulting from criminal justice system involvement have exploded as governments have tried to use fines and fees to pay for our bloated carceral system and government operations generally. Many cannot afford to pay and therefore face harmful consequences, such as driver’s license suspensions, incarceration, and barriers to record clearing. NCLC works to address the problems that unaffordable criminal justice debt and harsh collection practices pose to low-income people and people of color.

Seizing Family Homes to Collect Prison Fees

July 30, 2025

More than half of states allow seizure of inheritances, family homes to cover costs of incarceration

Read More about: Seizing Family Homes to Collect Prison Fees
July 22, 2024
February 1, 2022

Recent

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Amicus Brief in U.S. v. Myers

August 14, 2025

Seizing Family Homes to Collect Prison Fees

July 30, 2025

Handcuffing Heirs: How Seizing Inheritances to Collect Pay-to-Stay Prison Fees Hinders Recovery and Financial Stability

July 29, 2025

Road to Opportunity Act: Stories from Impacted Drivers

June 9, 2025

The Boston Globe: Driver’s licenses in limbo: Government debts jeopardize thousands of Mass. drivers

June 9, 2025

Massachusetts Lawmakers, Advocates Host Briefing to Discuss Bill to End Debt-Based Driving Restrictions

May 22, 2025

Testimony Supporting Bill to End Colorado’s Practice of Charging Medical Copays to People in Prison

April 23, 2025

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

February 18, 2025

Seizing the Safety Net: Collecting Criminal Justice Debt with Tax Refund Offsets

January 30, 2025

Comments & Letters

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

February 18, 2025

Comments on Proposed Medicaid and Medicare Program Rules Amending Definition of Custody for Purposes of Medicare Exclusion (CMS-1809-P)

September 9, 2024

Comments on Healthcare Consolidation RFI to DOJ FTC HHS

May 30, 2024

Comments on Treasury Department’s Request for Information on Financial Inclusion

February 20, 2024

Comments re: Bureau of Prisons’ Proposed Rule on “Reservation of Funds for Reentry Under the First Step Act”

January 8, 2024

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 Affecting Justice-Involved Individuals

February 8, 2023

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

February 7, 2023

Reports

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Seizing the Safety Net: Collecting Criminal Justice Debt with Tax Refund Offsets

January 30, 2025

Medical Debt Behind Bars: The Punishing Impact of Copays, Fees, and Other Carceral Medical Debt

September 6, 2024

The High Cost of a Fresh Start: A State-by-State Analysis of Court Debt as a Bar to Record Clearing

February 1, 2022

Collecting Criminal Justice Debt Through the State Civil Justice System

May 12, 2021

Report: Commercialized (In)Justice 2019

March 5, 2019

Issue Briefs

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Handcuffing Heirs: How Seizing Inheritances to Collect Pay-to-Stay Prison Fees Hinders Recovery and Financial Stability

July 29, 2025

Robbed Behind Bars: Identity Theft Committed Against Incarcerated Victims

January 27, 2025

2025 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

October 21, 2024

Captive Concerns: Incarcerated People Face Obstacles to Reporting Consumer Abuses

July 22, 2024

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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Testimony Supporting Bill to End Colorado’s Practice of Charging Medical Copays to People in Prison

April 23, 2025

Testimony Supporting Massachusetts Bills H.3314 & S.2227: An Act to End Debt-Based Driving Restrictions and Remove Economic Roadblocks

November 9, 2023

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

April 14, 2023

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

March 23, 2023

Testimony supporting Massachusetts H. 1900, Telephone Service for Inmates

October 18, 2021

Testimony of Ariel Nelson regarding H.4652, An Act Regarding Decarceration and COVID-19

May 5, 2020

Written Testimony before the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly

Written Testimony before New York State’s Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Protection and Division of Criminal Justice Services, Bail Bond Reform Listening Session

Press Releases & News

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Seizing Family Homes to Collect Prison Fees

July 30, 2025

The Boston Globe: Driver’s licenses in limbo: Government debts jeopardize thousands of Mass. drivers

June 9, 2025

Massachusetts Lawmakers, Advocates Host Briefing to Discuss Bill to End Debt-Based Driving Restrictions

May 22, 2025

CFPB Orders Money Transfer Provider to Return $3 Million to Incarcerated People and Their Families

November 14, 2024

Medical Debt Behind Bars: New Report Examines the Impact of Medical Debt on Incarcerated People

September 10, 2024

CFPB Takes Aim at Misleading, Incomplete, and Old Information in Background Check Reports

January 11, 2024

Digital Library: FCRA Remedies When Criminal Records Lead to Rental Denials

September 21, 2023

Gov. Healey Issues Amendment to Provision that Would Make Communications from Prisons and Jails Free; Now the Legislature Must Act

August 9, 2023

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

March 14, 2023

From the NCLC Digital Library

Collection Actions

The only treatise to detail consumer defenses to debt buyer and creditor collection lawsuits on credit card, medical, criminal justice, and other consumer debts.

Read Chapter One