As Legislatures Around the Country Address Reliance on Fines and Fees, It’s Louisiana’s Turn
Louisiana levies nearly 600 distinct fines and fees, the penalties and legal obligations that come with involvement in the criminal justice system. Fines are punitive and accompany infractions like traffic violations, while fees are administrative and accompany the procedures involved in the legal process. While courts across the state have come to rely on the fluctuating revenue of fines and fees, the evidence is clear that this practice is fiscally irresponsible and unsustainable. Moreover, fines and fees are often assigned to those who struggle to afford them. People who are transitioning away from crime and towards stability need support and rehabilitation, not a system that traps them into a debt they are unable to pay Louisiana’s hundreds of fines and fees creates a courthouse of cards, undermining efficiency, rehabilitation, and ultimately justice. By tying vital judicial functions to an ebbing and flowing stream of revenue, often which the defendants are unable to pay, public safety outcomes suffer.
In 2025, states across the country explored ways to eliminate redundant or ineffective fines and fees. Looking to their creative and bold solutions can offer lawmakers a vision for a stronger and more fiscally prudent justice system in Louisiana.
In Oklahoma, House Bill (HB) 1460 was signed into law in August with overwhelming bipartisan support. The law eliminated several low-yield fees, those fees with disproportionately low collection rates. The bill author, State Representative Tammy West (R), relied on data from recent years about which legal obligations disproportionately impacted those with a low ability to pay. Responding to the data entailed a careful evaluation of the status quo in Oklahoma: Which fees were necessary? Which fees consistently went unpaid? What options exist to build more sustainable funding for the Oklahoma justice system? The result was the development of HB 1460, which met broad support and is now enacted into law, helping to remove barriers to justice in Oklahoma.
North Dakota took a similar approach last year when it passed HB 1417, which eliminated fees that demonstrated a very low return on investment. The bill also requires additional studies to be conducted so the state can learn more about which fees are effective and which can be eliminated in order to further safety and justice. The bill’s emphasis on data is a prudent one, and comes as part of a larger package of evidence-backed reentry bills in the state.
Louisiana has the frameworks available to reduce its reliance on fines and fees and provide a more transparent judicial process. Louisiana’s Commission on Justice System Funding has been largely inactive since 2022. The commission, if revived, could collect and assess data about which fines and fees are redundant, have a low return on investment, or disproportionately affect those with little to no ability to pay. Responding to the data does not require the state to reinvent the wheel, other legislatures have recognized the instability of a system relying on legal fees, rather than consistent and sustainable resources, and have worked to enact fiscally savvy policies that prioritize justice.
In addition to the Commission on Justice System Funding, there is a growing consensus amongst lawmakers, agency officials, and stakeholders alike that rehabilitation and reentry are vital to creating safer communities across the state. Just this month, the Louisiana House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee held a hearing to explore opportunities for system-wide transformation and improvement. Last year, other states demonstrated that reform is possible, now Louisiana has both the evidence and the momentum to act and eliminate a reliance on fines and fees.