The Price of Justice: Rethinking the Consequences of Fines and Fees

This solicitation seeks a TTA provider to work with five jurisdictions to identify the purpose and intent of their fines and fees policies and practices and the resulting impact of their policies and practices, including any racial disparities or other constitutional concerns. To that end, the TTA provider will help five jurisdictions analyze their usage of fines and fees; assess their reliance on fines and fees for operations, including supporting victim assistance and compensation; and create and implement a plan to align a jurisdiction’s fines and fees scheme with constitutional principles and civil rights statutes. Through this process, the TTA provider will assist the jurisdictions in defining what are equitable fines and fees practices and developing alternatives for people who are unable to pay, as well as to analyze to which fines and fees are poverty-based sanctions.

The selected TTA provider may additionally be tasked to work with jurisdictions who are identified by DOJ enforcement offices as out of compliance with civil rights statutes, other statutes, and not adhering to constitutional principles, at BJA’s discretion. 

Goals - The goals of this initiative are as follows:

1. Reduce the disproportionate impact of fines and fees on communities most impacted by poverty and inequality;
2. Understand the costs/benefits of fines and fees to fund operations;
3. Assist jurisdictions in reducing reliance on fines and fees to fund operations;
4. Assist jurisdictions in reducing jailing and other sanctions (e.g., debt-based license restrictions) for failure to pay; and/or
5. Ultimately redirect the resources used to effectuate assessment and collection of fines and fees into activities shown to have a greater return on public safety. 

Objectives - An applicant should address all the objectives listed below in the Goals, Objectives, Deliverables and Timeline web-based form. The objectives of this initiative are to assist jurisdictions with the following:

1. Understanding the impact of their fines and fees schemes via objective fiscal analysis
2. Quantifying the costs of operating a fines and fees scheme
3. Identifying policy and practice changes to ensure adherence to constitutional principles and civil rights statutes, and
4. Implementing identified changes. 

For information about deliverables, see: https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/O-BJA-2023-171758.pdf#page=8

Priority Areas - Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government: The Department of Justice is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. For additional information, see https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/O-BJA-2023-171758.pdf#page=10

• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education

Estimated Total Program Funding: