“It’s like a reverse Robin Hood—We all know they can’t pay”: How Court Actors Navigate the Logics of Monetary Sanctions

2025 research paper examining the perspectives of court-decision makers on monetary sanctions. The research found that court-actors that play a role in collecting fees, fines, or other legal financial obligations “LFOs” from people involved in the justice system believed there were both penal and financial justifications for collecting LFOs. However, because many people in this population could not afford the LFO’s it undermined their value as a punishment. Report includes quotations from court stakeholders on inability of people to pay financial penalties. 

Authors: Sarah Shannon, Alexes Harris, Tyler Smith, Mary Pattillo, Karin Martin, Ilya Slavinski, Robert Stewart, Andrea Giuffre, Aubrianne l. Sutherland