Report: Court Fines Promote Juvenile Recidivism, Not Rehabilitation

Date:  02-26-2023 According to the report, 19.4 percent of youth who were assigned fees committed a new crime compared to 15.7 percent who were not charged fees

From The Crime Report: A recent study set out to determine how monetary sanctions can affect the likelihood young people will reoffend. Do fees and fines act as a deterrent, steering juvenile offenders away from future crimes? In “A Statewide Analysis of the Impact of Restitution and Fees on Juvenile Recidivism in Florida Across Race & Ethnicity,” researchers found that fees and restitution assessed against young people actually increased juvenile recidivism in Florida. This was especially true for Black and Hispanic youth who received more costly fines, even though both groups had financial penalties assessed at similar proportions to white juvenile offenders. Continue reading >>>