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Study: Alabama counties that raised criminal fines also saw jail populations increase

Northport residents await their court appearances at the Northport Public Safety Building in Northport, Ala., on Aug. 30, 2023. A study released earlier this month found that Alabama counties that levied additional criminal fines and fees also saw an increase in the rates of people in detention. (Will McLelland for Alabama Reflector)
Northport residents await their court appearances at the Northport Public Safety Building in Northport, Ala., on Aug. 30, 2023. A study released earlier this month found that Alabama counties that levied additional criminal fines and fees also saw an increase in the rates of people in detention. (Will McLelland for Alabama Reflector) Northport residents await their court appearances at the Northport Public Safety Building in Northport, Ala., on Aug. 30, 2023. A study released earlier this month found that Alabama counties that levied additional criminal fines and fees also saw an increase in the rates of people in detention. (Will McLelland for Alabama Reflector)

By Ralph Chapoco 3 min read

A study released earlier this month found that Alabama counties that increased criminal fines and fees also saw increases in their jail populations.

The study, published by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, found that for every additional $100 a county assessed in cumulative criminal court fees, an additional 34 people per 100,000 population were incarcerated.

The study, reviewing data from all 67 counties in the state between 2011 and 2025, found that counties that increased fees by 1% saw a 1.75% increase in detention rates in their respective jails. Authors suggested “that court fee policy changes have measurable but limited impacts on overall jail detentions and that larger fee increases produce larger effects.”

“It should really give policymakers pause as they think about the efficacy of using local fees to recoup costs for any local project,” said Leah Nelson, a senior research associate with the research council in an interview on Monday.

Authors said that the study did not find that levying additional criminal fines and fees causes more people to be detained, only that a correlation exists between the two.