Addressing this massive barrier to justice and severely limiting the role of fines and fees is essential to establishing a meaningful path to criminal record-clearing. Key steps to addressing these barriers include:

• Eliminating or reducing court fines and abolishing fees
• Supporting systems that promote transparency in the use of fines and fees
• Allowing expungement of cases with unpaid monetary sanctions

This issue brief explores how individuals trying to clear their criminal records face enormous hurdles and challenges due to fines and fees and underscores the importance of implementing measures that will eliminate these barriers.