The Fines and Fees Freedom Fund aims to alleviate the heavy burden of criminal debt for those most at risk of incarceration for failure to pay. We firmly believe that no one should go to jail because they cannot afford to escape debt. We also acknowledge this is a systemic issue that demands legislative and policy reform. We uplift the work of advocates fighting for this systemic end to the poverty-incarceration cycle. In the meantime, we’re here to provide some relief.

This effort originated from the Strategic Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School. Through working with incarcerated clients, it became apparent that - in addition to the need for ongoing legal and systems change efforts, there are people at risk of incarceration who cannot wait for policy change. Since then, we’ve worked to help donors pay people’s fines and fees, to raise awareness of the issue, and to support the movement for systemic change.

Read more about the cause and our work at finesandfeesfreedom.fund