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.

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

February 1, 2022

For the nearly one-third of adults in the U.S. with a record of arrest or conviction, their record is not simply part of their past but a continuing condition that impacts nearly every aspect of their life.

Read More about: The High Cost of a Fresh Start: A State-by-State Analysis of Court Debt as a Bar to Record Clearing
March 1, 2022
March 5, 2019

Featured

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Amicus Brief: City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson

April 11, 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

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

November 9, 2023

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

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

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

March 23, 2023

Comments & Letters

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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

Letter to Congress Regarding Just and Reasonable Rates for Incarcerated People During COVID-19

October 13, 2022

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

Reports

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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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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 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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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

The Freedom Side Podcast: Caroline Cohn Discusses Junk Fees and Mass Incarceration

March 2, 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

Ipse Dixit Podcast: Andrea Bopp Stark & Geoffrey Walsh on Carceral Bankruptcy

October 4, 2022

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

February 14, 2022

New Report: Using Bankruptcy to Discharge Criminal Justice Debt 

October 8, 2020

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