In the United States today, people owe local, state, and federal governments billions of dollars in unpaid debt related to contact with the criminal justice system. “Criminal Justice Debt” is a broad term used to encompass the debt incurred from Criminal Justice Financial Obligations (CJFO’s) comprising the fines, surcharges, fees, costs, restitution, and any other monetary liability that accompany contact with the criminal justice system. This debt stems from a system that is complex, vast, and growing. While the issue of fines and fees and their deleterious effects on individuals and communities is starting to emerge in national discourse, to truly advance sound policy in this domain we need to understand the personal realities of having criminal justice debt.