The Explosion of Unpaid Criminal Fines and Fees in North Carolina

 By William Crozier , Brandon Garrett & Thomas Maher

 There has been an explosion of debt in our North Carolina criminal courts, much of it that has not been paid and likely never can or will be paid. In over 1.72 million cases total – and 120,000 cases each year criminal courts in North Carolina have imposed fees that a person cannot or does not pay. A failure to comply with the court order to pay, or an “FTC,” is then entered in the case. Over 650,000 people, or one in twelve adults in North Carolina currently have such unpaid criminal court debt. This largely uncollectible debt may total well over one hundred million dollars. This debt disproportionately burdens minority residents of North Carolina. Much of this debt arises in low-level traffic cases and infractions.

Durham, NC: The Center, 2020. 20p.