Check out our latest report co-authored by coalition members Rochelle Sparko, Laura Webb, Whitley Carpenter, and Heather Hunt: Waiving Criminal Court Fees Prevents Harms of Civil Debt.
Click here for our press release and here for the report. (October 2023)
Fines & Fees in the News
New report paints a bleak picture of how North Carolina's court system holds many of the state's poorest people accountable (WXII, 10/13/23)
How North Carolina turns the poor into criminals (The Charlotte Post, 10/11/23)
Justice Department Issues Dear Colleague Letter to Courts Regarding Fines and Fees for Youth and Adults (April 2023)
Dump NC's draconian driver license suspensions (The Charlotte Post, 5/10/23)
Drug Money: North Carolina’s little-known tax on illegal drugs and alcohol (WHQR, 9/2/22)
More Governments Join National Fine and Fee Reform Effort (Route-Fifty, 8/3/22)
Driver’s License Suspensions for Unpaid Debt: Punishing Poverty (Vera Institute of Justice, 7/19/22)
Drivers Successfully Challenge Debt-Based License Suspensions (Reason, June 2022 Edition)
¿Dónde obtener ayuda en español para recuperar su licencia de conducir revocada? (Enlace NC, April 2022)
North Carolina Drivers Still Face “Debt Traps” Despite Some Local Reforms (Bolts, 5/16/2022)
Nothing costs more than having no money (AL.com, 4/7/2022)Lawsuit pushes drivers license reinstatement for people who can't afford traffic tickets (WRAL, 2/22/22)
NC DMV, drivers submit settlement agreement on license revocation (Fox8, 2/22/22)
Lost your driver’s license in NC for not paying fines? A federal court is hearing your case (Fox8, 2/21/22)
North Carolina Driver’s License Suspensions Compound Hardships (Governing, 10/11/21)
Traffic tickets can add up to killer debt (Futurity, 10/11/21)
The Excessive, Unjust Enforcement of Petty Traffic Laws Causes Too Many Americans To Lose their Driver's Licenses (Reason, 10/1/2021)
Wilson Center Releases New Report on NC Fines, Fees, and Driver’s License Suspensions (09/29/21)
When fines and fees ruin lives (Market Watch, 09/29/21)
Canceled Fines and Fees, $0 Cash Bail. Will Pandemic-era Criminal Justice Changes Stick? (RouteFifty, 9/1/21)
Suspending Driver’s Licenses Is Inefficient Way to Recoup Fines (RouteFifty, 08/19/21)
Monetary Sanctions as a Pound of Flesh (Brennan Center for Justice, 07/26/21)
Driver’s License Suspensions and the Debt Trap (Governing, 06/01/21)
New Analysis Rates States On Whether Their Court Fines And Fees Perpetuate Racism And The Results Aren’t Good (Forbes, 05/25/2021)
Report: Black Drivers In NC Disproportionately Hit With License Suspensions For Unpaid Fines And Fees (WFAE, 05/13/2021)
‘Must read’ report: The price of poverty in North Carolina’s juvenile justice system (NC Policy Watch, 4/28/2021)
Chapel Hill Criminal Justice Debt Program Expands Services to Help More Community Members (Chapelboro, 03/05/2021)
The New Debt Prisons (New York Times, 02/16/2021)
Traffic fines wiped for thousands of Cape Fear residents unable to pay (WECT News, 12/08/2020)
Poverty continues to prevent many ex-felons from voting (Facing South, 09/09/2020)
North Carolina Court Wipes Out Voting Restrictions Designed to “Secure White Supremacy” (Slate, 09/08/2020)
Court: Money owed can’t block voting rights for NC felons (Washington Post, 09/04/2020)