There is little consistency to how Tennessee’s criminal courts weigh your ability to pay fees, fines, and other legal financial obligations.
Continue readingFour Ways to Improve Tennessee’s Criminal Fee and Fine Data Infrastructure
Basic questions about criminal justice fees & fines that current data can’t answer and best practices to collect better information
Continue readingCovid Recession: Tracking Tennessee’s Economic Recovery To Date
The state’s topline economic measures have largely recovered from COVID-19, but there are serious complications and lingering symptoms.
Continue readingCriminal Justice Fees & Fines: 11 Options for Tennessee Policymakers
There’s potential for policy change at many levels of government, but state law dictates most of the criminal fees and fines in Tennessee.
Continue readingHow Criminal Fees and Fines Fund State and County Government in Tennessee
Tennessee’s criminal justice system collects over $200 million in fees & fines each year, yet they play a small and shrinking role in the state and most county budgets.
Continue reading2019 Income, Poverty, Education, and Insurance Coverage in Tennessee’s 95 Counties
Census data for Tennessee’s 95 counties continue to show large differences in household income, poverty, education level, and health insurance coverage.
Continue readingFees, Fines, and Criminal Justice in Tennessee
Even if not convicted, people charged with crimes in Tennessee often face substantial fees, fines, taxes, and other financial obligations.
Continue reading2019 Census Data on Income & Poverty in Tennessee
Tennessee saw large improvements in household income and the poverty in 2019, but both metrics still trail the national average.
Continue reading2019 Census Data on Tennesseans’ Education Levels
Differences in post-secondary education rates among white, black, and Hispanic Tennesseans are shrinking, but significant gaps remain.
Continue reading2019 Census Data on Health Insurance Coverage in Tennessee
The Tennesseans least likely to have health insurance in 2019 were men, Hispanics, younger adults, the unemployed, and people with less education & income.
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