Monetary sanctions, also known as legal financial obligations (LFOs), are a highly
consequential yet underexplored element of the criminal legal system. LFOs consist of fines …

Social scientists have long debated whether racial inequality is an unfortunate consequence
of political and economic exploitation or a core feature of capitalism. In 1983, Cedric …

Investigations in Ferguson, Missouri, revealed that many individuals, particularly Black
people, entered the criminal justice system for relatively minor offenses, missed court …

Research on punishment and inequality finds that people with criminal records routinely
avoid systems of surveillance. Yet scholarship on monetary sanctions shows that many …

In this article, we explore the experiences of people who carry monetary sanction (or penal)
debt across eight US states. Using 519 interviews with people sentenced to fines and fees …

Probation is the most commonly imposed correctional sanction, is often accompanied by
supplementary costs, and can be operated by the state or private companies. Private …

Legal scholars have long studied why laws are implemented differently across local court
contexts. Key to understanding this localized variation is understanding how new laws are …

System-impacted individuals often rely on others to provide financial support, which aids in
the payment of legal-financial obligations (LFOs). LFOs comprise the fines, fees, restitution …

Although men's incarceration rates have declined in the United States, women's have stayed
steady and even risen in some areas. At the same time, courts have increased their use of …

Exponential growth in order maintenance policing and associated misdemeanor sanctions
have led to disproportionate consequences for people of color. Using data from qualitative …