Effects of Criminal Justice Financial Sanctions and Fee Repeal on Justice-Involved Individuals’ Financial Burden, Recidivism, and Probation Outcomes – Alameda County Adult Fee Repeal 2018

• In Event: Examining the Impact of Justice System Fee Repeal and Financial Sanctions: A Comprehensive Analysis

Abstract

Financial sanctions like fees, fines, and restitution are often imposed by the U.S. criminal legal systems. Advocates push for reforms, particularly the repeal of fees, due to their potential to increase debt, stress, and reoffending. However, empirical guidance is limited. Alameda County’s 2018 repeal of criminal justice fees provided an opportunity to study the impact of criminal fee repeal and financial sanctions overall. We used quasi-experimental design, applying Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation with machine learning to analyze data on 4,975 adults placed on probation pre- and post-repeal. We found that fee repeal lowered the chance of financial sanctions by 3.5% (68% vs. 65%) and reduced amounts by 62% ($1,292, $2,079 vs. $788). We found fee repeal reduced the length of probation by 50 days (482 vs. 432 days) but did not reduce re-arrests or probation/parole violation one year following the fee repeal. However, early financial sanctions (months 1-3) increased the probability of later probation/parole violations (months 4-12) by 6%. Our results suggest that while fee repeal effectively lessens financial stress on probationers, its direct impact on reoffending is minimal. Implications for “debt-free advocacy” efforts will be discussed.

Authors

• Luyi Jian, University of California, Berkeley

• Jaclyn Chambers, Urban Institute

• Sharon Farrell, University of California, Berkeley

• Jennifer Skeem, University of California, Berkeley