Supervision Fees: State Policies and Practice

CHARGING FEES FOR supervision-related costs has a long history. Michigan and Colorado began charging probation fees in the 1930s, but by 1980 only 10 states had joined them.2 During the 1980s, however, the use of fees expanded rapidly, partially spurred on by the so-called “taxpayer revolt” of the late 1970s. By 1986 the number of states that charged supervision fees had jumped to 24, rising to at least 40 by 1997.3 While this growth and the revenue that accompanied it pales in comparison to the overall increase in criminal justice costs, which, not including the cost of arrest, prosecution, and general costs to victims, jumped “from $9,000,000,000 in 1982, to $59,600,000,000 in 2002,”4 the rise of supervision fees presents a compelling narrative that is crucial to understanding how to make them more effective. Before continuing further, however, we must distinguish among the three main types of criminal justice financial obligations imposed on offenders: restitution, fines, and fees. Restitution is repayment to the victim