
Let's stop blaming the people who are being victimized by the system. Let's fix the system. - Rubina Mustafa, Detroit Justice Center

ABOUT US
Across the United States, millions of people are trapped in a cycle of debt, suspended driver’s licenses, and incarceration simply because they cannot afford to pay a ticket or court fine. These aren’t isolated stories. They’re part of a systemic pattern that disproportionately impacts Black, Brown, and low-income communities, criminalizing people not for their actions, but for their economic status. Through short documentary films, digital storytelling, and grassroots collaboration, Fined Out shares the real stories of people navigating these systems and the growing movement working to change them.
STORIES
MICHIGAN
In a city where driving means access to work, family, and freedom, individuals in the Detroit area share how fines and fees turned everyday life into a struggle, and how lawyers, judges, and community leaders are teaming up to help them get back on the road.
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NEW MEXICO
In New Mexico, unpaid traffic fines could lead to suspended licenses, jail time, and an endless debt spiral until a coalition of directly impacted residents, advocates, and legislators worked together to pass sweeping bipartisan reform.
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We are in a very rural state. A lot of people commute for their jobs. The quickest way to drive people deeper into poverty is to take their car away. -Monica Ault, New Mexico State Director, Fines and Fees Justice Center (FFJC)