The US justice system collects millions of dollars from youth and their families through fees and fines. These fees and fines are harmful, unjust, and have lifelong consequences.

At every point in the juvenile justice system, a young person can be charged fees for an electronic ankle monitor, detention, probation supervision, and even a public defender. These fees and fines disproportionately impact Black, Brown, and Indigenous people who are over-represented and over-punished in the justice system. 

Young people who can’t afford to pay fees and fines are set up to fail, and families that are already struggling face an insurmountable financial burden. Families facing fees and fines often have to choose between paying off these debts or paying for essentials like groceries, rent, or car payments. A family’s inability to pay can lead to years of escalating debt and additional punitive consequences, including their own incarceration. The families who are struggling to support a young person involved with the justice system need resources more than ever - and extracting money from them is unjust, counterproductive, and cruel.

There are better ways to fund the juvenile justice system that are not harmful, and need to be implemented nationwide. 

The Debt Free Justice Campaign seeks to abolish juvenile fees and fines, and implement these alternatives. 

Because of targeted policing and over-surveillance of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, these youth are overrepresented and over-punished in the justice system. As a result, fees and fines disproportionately hurt youth of color and their families. Not only does our nation incarcerate and punish more children than any other country in the world, but it locks up Black youth 4x more than white youth. This puts an obvious strain on families and communities, and greatly impacts BIPOC futures. 

Missouri is one of the many states that continues to refuse to eliminate these fees.
In St. Louis, 288 youth were placed in prisons, group homes, and detention centers in 2020. 109 of them are boys. 95% of the youth in the juvenile detention center in St. Louis are Black kids. Each year, the City of St. Louis refers an average of 726 youth to the juvenile court system. 96% of these youth are Black. Juvenile fees and fines are clearly targeted towards Black youth, therefore continuing America’s legacy of racism and mistreatment of our youth. 

HB2338 is the most recent bill filed to eliminate juvenile fees and fines, filed in January 2024.
If passed, this bill would totally eliminate juvenile fees and fines in Missouri, making it the 17th state to correct this injustice towards our youth. Join the fight by submitting the contact form below and track the progress of HB2338 here.