Time to Reconvene the Supreme Court Task Force on Court Costs, Fines, and Fees

In 2016, the Illinois Supreme Court’s Statutory Court Fee Task Force released a report finding that the state’s “byzantine system” of court costs, fines, and fees varied wildly by county and disproportionately impacted low-income Illinois residents. These findings pushed forward legislation – the Cr...
November 23, 2020

Testimony: Budget for Black Lives

The only way to reduce harm for Cook County's Black and Brown communities is by investing in resources and programs that help people thrive. Even with budget crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, these investments are possible if Cook County commits to making significant divestments from Cook Cou...
October 29, 2020

Court Costs, Fines, and Fees Are Bad Policy

Across the country, regressive court fines, administrative costs, and filing fees are functioning to penalize people solely for their poverty. Court costs, fines, and fees (also known as “monetary sanctions”) exist in both the civil and criminal realms of the justice system and are applied in al...
July 23, 2020