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A Framework to Improve How Fines, Fees, Restitution, and Child Support are Assessed and Collected from People Convicted of Crimes.
(March 2009).
This report describes how fines, fees, and restitution are assessed in criminal courts in Texas, how these court-ordered financial obligations are collected, and how these ssessments and collections account for child support that defendants may already owe. This report reviews the challenges court officials encounter under the current system and recommends strategies to clarify and streamline existing policies.
Clerk`s of Court Generally are Meeting the System`s Collection Performance Standards.
(March 2007).
This report by the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governement Accountability states, "Statewide, collection rates are generally high and clerks generally meet or exceed performance standards, although civil traffic and juvenile delinquency collections pose difficulties."
Greenblatt, Alan.
"Evanston Cuts Off Its Bad Customers."
Governing: 56 (April 2002).
This report focuses on an ordinance where the city withholds services from individuals or companies that owe it money. The names and addresses of citizens applying for building or parking permits, animal licenses, or beach passes are run through a computer that checks whether they are on the citywide debtor list. The program was responsible for some $11,000 worth of collections during its first month.
Criminal Debt: Oversight and Actions Needed to Address Deficiencies in Collection Processes.
Washington, DC: General Accounting Office (2001).
This report discusses factors that have an impact on the effectiveness of the criminal-debt-collection process: the nature of criminal debt, the assessment of mandatory restitution, payment schedules set by judges, and limitations due to state laws. The report provides recommendations related to these issues to improve the collection of criminal debt.
A Caseworker`s Guide to Child Support Enforcement and Military Personnel.
Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Support Enforcement (2000).
This guide assists child-support-enforcement caseworkers when one of the parents in a case is an active duty member of the armed services. This guide identifies and discusses tools other child-support workers have used successfully to cope with some of the most common difficulties in child-support-enforcement cases involving military personnel.
Federal Courts: Differences Exist in Ordering Fines and Restitution.
Washington, DC: General Accounting Office, General Government Division. (1999).
This report identifies the percentage of offenders who were ordered to pay fines or restitution in fiscal year 1997, as well as differences across judicial circuits and districts in the percentage of offenders who were ordered to pay fines or restitution, and then provides officials' opinions about possible reasons for those differences.
Fines and Restitution: Improvement Needed in How Offenders` Payment Schedules Are Determined.
Washington, DC: General Accounting Office (1998).
This report was created in response to a request from the U.S. Congress to study orders of fines and restitution imposed on federal criminal offenders. The report identifies guidance available to probation officers on how to determine payment schedules for offenders who must pay fines to the government or restitution to their victims and to assess how offenders' payment schedules were actually determined while under court supervision.
"Prison on the Plastic."
Governing: 17 (November 1997).
Linn County, Iowa, has experienced a $15,000 increase in receiving jail fees since Sheriff Zeller installed an ATM machine in the lobby of the county jail.
How to Use Structured Fines (Day Fines) As an Intermediate Sanction.
Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Assistance, Justice Management Institute and Vera Institute of Justice. (1996).
This monograph presents guidelines for policymakers and criminal-justice practitioners who are considering using structured fines as part of their overall sentencing system. This work provides planning and operational instructions applicable to every jurisdiction, such as how to set goals and priorities, develop a unit scale that ranks offenses by severity, calculate fine amounts, and impose the structured fine sentence.
Michaelis, Laura.
"Parking Fines: Just the Revenue Ticket?."
Governing: 22 (March 1995).
This article addresses the council of Metuchen, New Jersey's decision to not appoint James B. Smith to a third term on the municipal bench because the council wanted a judge with a better appreciation of the bottom line and who might be able to help with the township's financial problems. This decision was held as controversial by many state legal experts as it could lead to holding judges more accountable for revenue streams than courtroom justice.
Standards Relating to Courts Costs: Fees Miscellaneous Charges and Surcharges.
COSCA Committee to Examine Court Costs (August 1986).
The standards offer definitions and advocate principles representing what the committee believed should exist in an "ideal" judicial system. The standards are offered with an understanding of the historical, political, and budgetary realities facing courts and legislative bodies and are intended to be used as a model when states consider changes in their fees systems. 
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Tomkins, Alan Jeffrey, and Elizabeth Neely.
Preliminary Evaluation of the Lancaster County Indigency Screener Project: January 2003.
Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Public Policy Center (2003).
This report assesses the Indigency Screener pilot project in Lancaster County in 2001. The pilot program was intended to develop and clarify defendant eligibility for court-appointed counsel, as well as provide a standardized system to document eligibility for appointed counsel. (KFN578 .T66 2003)
Cowherd, Mary J. et al
Improving Quality of Service for Court Users.
Dallas: Texas Office of Court Administration, Dallas County Clerk`s Office (2002).
This report provides an evaluation of the Dallas County Financial Management Counseling Pilot Project from October 2000 to December 2001. (KFT1791 .C69 2002)
Issues and Recommendations Regarding the Structure of State Court Costs and Fees: Report of the Comptroller as Required by SCR 12, 76th Legislative Session.
Austin, TX: Comptroller of Public Accounts (2001).
This report offers a response to the 1999 legislative act that was intended to develop strategies for increasing the efficiency and reducing the complexity of fee collection and dispersal by county and municipal clerks. (KFT1790.5 .F5 T49 2001)
Summary Reports of Audited Accounts and Plans to Collect Accounts Receivable: Report to the Michigan Supreme Court.
Lansing, MI: State Court Administrative Office (1998).
This report focuses on the collection of financial penalties and assessments, providing some preliminary information on the status of collection programs in Michigan trial courts, and recommends improving the information available regarding enforcement of financial sanctions. (KFM4710.5 .F5 S86)
Forman, Jody, and David Factor.
Integrating Structured Fines in Four Oregon Counties.
Salem: Oregon Criminal Justice Council (1995).
This report assesses the progress of the National Structured Fines Demonstration Project, which was intended to increase the use of fines as a criminal sanction by establishing fine amounts that take into account the offender's financial means and the severity of the crime. (KFO2991 .F67)
Structured Fines: Day Fines as Fair and Collectable Punishment in American Courts.
New York: Vera Institute of Justice (1995).
Structured Fines provides an introduction to day fines and their implementation in state courts. Day fines are expressed in units that represent a portion of the defendant's daily disposable income. By assigning fines in units rather than traditional dollar amounts, day fines are more likely to be collected by the court, generate more total revenue, and impose punishments that resonate equally with defendants of all economic backgrounds. In addition to a more in depth description of day fines, the handbook provides guidance for setting up a day fine system and gives examples of courts that have had success with similar systems. (KF9745 .S77)
Zimmerman, Ron
"Fine Amnesty: Taking the Low Road."
Court Manager 7, no. 2: 28 (1992).
This article explores the negative consequences of courts providing "amnesty periods" during which constituents owing fines pay a reduced rate (often 50% of the orginial fine). In exchange for the offender's compliance, the court eliminates or signficantly reduces their remaining balance of the fine. The only beneftis from such programs are the "fast cash" and political benefits they provide to state and local governments. It is suggested that courts focus their resources on establishing permanent enforcement units that will be able to collect the full sum of payments and preserve the reputation of the judicial system. (KF8732 .A15 C685 V.7 1992)
Litschewski, Paul
"Getting a Grip on Court Collections: An Overview of the Colorado Collections Investigator Program."
Court Manager 6, no. 3: 13 (1991).
A pilot program was established in Colorado that provided courts with a collections investigator whose primary job was determining the offender's financial eligibility for a stay of execution. By carefully reviewing these cases, the investigators were able to reduce the number of stays granted and increase the number of payments made immediately following setencing. Colorado saw a remarkable gain in net payments and soon provided funds for collections investigations programs throughout the state. (KF8732 .A15 C685 V.6 1991)
Zimmerman, Ron
"Dollars and Sentences: The Fiscal Seduction of the Courts."
State Court Journal Fall (1990).
This article discusses the five biggest myths that block the road of effective and responsible collection of fees. Despite the trying economic situations faced by many offenders, the article advocates court accountability and the creation of fine enforcement divisions to increase collection rates. (KF8732 .A15 S73 V.14 1990)
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