Giving Compass' Take:

• This Laura and John Arnold Foundation post announces a new grantee that will help local governments reduce their reliance on revenue from criminal fines and fees.

• How might this help improve the criminal justice system in general? Could it help reduce the burden on low-income people who may experience economic hardship from such policies?

• Here are more criminal justice reforms to watch in 2019.

With city and county governments typically spending more than half of their annual budgets on public safety and criminal justice operations and programs, Public Financial Management (PFM) announced the launch of the Center for Justice & Safety Finance (CJSF).

As part of its launch, CJSF announced it has been awarded a $1.2 million grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation to work with county governments seeking to reduce or eliminate their reliance on criminal fines and fees as a revenue source.

“We work to help local governments across the nation on finance and budget issues and we know from our clients that balancing the imperative of justice and safety with the cost is one of the mostimportant challenges that they face,” said PFM CEO John Bonow. Bonow continued: “Through this new initiative, CJSF will marry vast expertise in finance, criminal justice and public safety operations, and law enforcement to support local governments seeking to maximize efficiency and effectiveness in criminal justice systems and the delivery of police, fire and emergency management systems.”

Read the full article about how the Center for Justice & Safety Finance hopes to reduce fines and fees at Laura and John Arnold Foundation.