50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
Collections Infrastructure
Keyword search across all of the laws in the states. Subject-area tabs above allow you to narrow results. Click the advanced search for further refinement.
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Who may collect
Below are the collections infrastructure provisions that meet your search criteria.
16 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 5-4-204 | Collection After Default |
(a) When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine or costs defaults in the payment of the fine or costs or of any installment, the fine or costs may be collected by any means authorized for the enforcement of a money judgment in a civil action. (b) A judgment that the defendant pay a fine or costs constitutes a lien on the real property and personal property of the defendant in the same manner and to the same extent as a money judgment in a civil action.
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-13-709(a)(1)(A) | Responsibility for Collection |
(i) The quorum court of each county of the state shall designate a county official, agency, or department which shall be primarily responsible for the collection of fines assessed in the circuit courts of this state.(ii) All fines collected each month in circuit court by the designated county official, agency, or department shall be disbursed by the fifth working day of the following month to the State Administration of Justice Fund, the county administration of justice fund, and the appropriate county fund, state entity, or state agency as provided by law.
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-13-709(a)(1)(A)(iii) | Responsibility for Collection |
The sheriff shall remain responsible for collecting bail or money deposited in lieu of bail on behalf of defendants discharged from incarceration pursuant to law in circuit court. |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-13-709(a)(1)(B)-(C) | Responsibility for Collection |
(B)(i) The quorum court may delegate the responsibility for the collection of delinquent fines assessed in circuit court to a private contractor.(ii) The contractor may receive, under a written contract, a commission on delinquent fines collected for circuit court. (C)(i) The commission agreed to be received by the private contractor shall be a portion of the total fine owed by a defendant. (ii) The court shall credit the defendant with the gross amount remitted to the private contractor. (iii) The private contractor shall remit the gross amounts collected to the county official, agency, or department designated under subdivision (a)(1)(A) of this section on at least a monthly basis.
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-13-709(a)(2)(A) | Responsibility for Collection |
(i) The governing body or, if applicable, each governing body of a political subdivision which contributes to the expenses of a district court shall designate a county, town, or city official, agency, or department who shall be primarily responsible for the collection of fines assessed in the district courts of this state.(ii) All fines collected each month in district court or a department of district court by the designated county, town, or city official, agency, or department shall be disbursed by the tenth working day of the following month pursuant to § 16-17-707.
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-13-709(a)(2)(B) | Responsibility for Collection |
The chief of police of the town or city in which a district court is located shall remain responsible for collecting bail or money deposited in lieu of bail on behalf of defendants discharged from incarceration pursuant to law in district court.
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-13-709(a)(2)(C) | Responsibility for Collection |
(i) The governing body or, if applicable, each governing body of a political subdivision which contributes to the expenses of a district court may delegate the responsibility for the collection of delinquent fines assessed in district court to a private contractor.(ii) The contractor may receive under a written contract a commission on delinquent fines collected for district court. (iii) The commission agreed to be received by the private contractor shall be a portion of the total fine owed by a defendant. (iv) The court shall credit the defendant with the gross amount remitted to the private contractor. (v) The private contractor shall remit the gross amount collected to the county, town, or city official, agency, or department designated under subdivision (a)(2)(A) of this section on a monthly basis. (vi) The commission expense shall be apportioned among each governing body of a political subdivision which contributes to the expenses of a district court in proportion to the gross amount of fines collected for that political subdivision. (vii) Payment of the commission shall be according to accounting procedures prescribed by law. (viii) The remainder of fines received shall be disbursed pro rata under this section and §§ 16-10-209, 16-10-308, and 16-17-707.
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 602.8107(2) | Collection of court debt |
Clerk of the district court collection. Court debt shall be owed and payable to the clerk of the district court. All amounts collected shall be distributed pursuant to sections 602.8106 and 602.8108 or as otherwise provided by this Code. The clerk may accept payment of an obligation or a portion thereof by credit card. Any fees charged to the clerk with respect to payment by credit card may be paid from receipts collected by credit card
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 364.22B | Collection of judgment debt |
1. As used in this section, “judgment debt” means any criminal penalty, any personal judgment for a civil penalty, or any personal or in rem judgment for the costs of abating a nuisance or other violation, owing to a city in any proceeding brought as a municipal infraction under section 364.22, or in a civil nuisance proceeding under chapter 657, or in a criminal proceeding for a misdemeanor violation under a city ordinance.
2. Judgment debt owing to a city is deemed delinquent if it is not paid within thirty days after the date it is assessed. An amount which was ordered by the court to be paid on a date fixed in the future is deemed delinquent if it is not received by the clerk of court within thirty days after the fixed date set out in the court order. If an amount was ordered to be paid in installments and an installment is not received within thirty days after the date it is due, the entire amount of the judgment debt is deemed delinquent. 3.a. A city may contract with a private collection designee for the collection of a judgment debt sixty days after the judgment debt in a case is deemed delinquent pursuant to subsection 2. b. The contract shall provide for a collection fee of up to twenty-five percent of the amount of the balance of the judgment debt in a case deemed delinquent. The collection fee shall be added to the amount of the judgment debt deemed delinquent. The amount of the judgment debt deemed delinquent and the collection fee shall be owed by and collected from the defendant. The collection fee shall be used to compensate the private collection designee. |
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 602.8107(3)(a)-(b) | Collection of court debt |
Thirty days after court debt has been assessed, or if an installment payment is not received within thirty days after the date it is due, the judicial branch shall assign a case to the private collection designee under contract with the judicial branch pursuant to subsection 5 to collect debts owed to the clerk of the district court.
b. In addition, court debt which is being collected under an installment agreement pursuant to section 321.210B which is in default that remains delinquent shall remain assigned to the private collection designee if the installment agreement was executed with the private collection designee; or to the county attorney or county attorney’s designee if the installment agreement was executed with the county attorney or county attorney’s designee. |
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 602.8107(5) | Collection of court debt |
The judicial branch shall contract with a private collection designee for the collection of court debt after the court debt in a case is deemed delinquent pursuant to subsection 2 if the county attorney is not collecting the court debt in a case pursuant to subsection 4. The judicial branch shall solicit requests for proposals prior to entering into any contract pursuant to this subsection. b. The contract shall provide for a collection fee of up to twenty-five percent of the amount of the court debt in a case deemed delinquent. The collection fee as calculated shall be added to the amount of the court debt deemed delinquent. The amount of the court debt deemed delinquent and the collection fee shall be owed by and collected from the defendant. The collection fee shall be used to compensate the private collection designee. The contract may also assess the private collection designee an initial fee for entering into the contract.
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 602.8107(4) | Collection of court debt |
County attorney collection. The county attorney or the county attorney’s designee may collect court debt sixty days after the court debt is deemed delinquent pursuant to subsection 2. In order to receive a percentage of the amounts collected pursuant to this subsection,the county attorney must file annually with the clerk of the district court on or before July 1 a notice of full commitment to collect delinquent court debt for all cases assigned to the county for collection by the court. The annual notice shall contain a list of procedures which will be initiated by the county attorney.
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Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws. Ann. § 12-21-1 | Methods of recovering fines and forfeitures |
Unless otherwise specially provided: (1) All fines of five hundred dollars ($500) and under shall be recovered by complaint and summons; (2) All fines of upwards of five hundred dollars ($500), by indictment or information; (3) All penalties and pecuniary forfeitures, by action of debt; and (4) All forfeitures of personal property, by complaint and warrant or by information.
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Rhode Island | R.I. Gen.Laws. Ann. § 8-15-9 | Supervision of court imposed and court related costs, fines, restitution, and other payments, deposits, and receipts |
Within the administrative office of the state courts there shall be a finance section. The director of the finance section shall be appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court, and approved by a majority vote of the advisory board. The director of the finance section shall monitor the handling, collection, receipt, and disbursement of all court imposed or court related fees, fines, costs, assessments, charges, and other monetary payments, deposits, and receipts, including, but not limited to, filing fees, court costs and fees, bail, fines, judgments, awards, restitution payments, registry of court accounts, restricted receipts accounts, child support and other support orders, and court stenographers' accounts. The director shall be responsible for all bookkeeping and accounting of money collected or received by the clerks of the various state courts including, but not limited to, §§ 8-4-8, 8-8-16, 8-8-17, 8-8.2-3 and 8-10-10. The director shall formulate and publish a policy which shall standardize the procedures for the handling, collection, receipt, and disbursement of court imposed or court related monetary payments, deposits, and receipts. The court may require all persons who enter into a payment plan for the payment of court imposed or court related fees, fines, court costs, assessments, charges and/or any other monetary obligations to provide a valid social security number, valid driver's license number, and date of birth at the time they enter into said payment plan. Provided, however, social security numbers and driver's license numbers shall not be part of the public record and shall be used for collection purposes only.
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Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws. Ann. § 12-21-21 | Guilty plea and payment of fine by person outside state |
Whenever any person who is charged with the commission of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine shall be outside the confines of this state, the defendant may, with the approval of a judge of the district court for the division in which the complaint may be pending, or with the approval of the justice of the superior court in charge of criminal appeals if the cause is pending on appeal before the superior court, by instrument in writing and duly acknowledged before an appropriate officer, authorize his or her attorney of record to appear in open court and enter on his or her behalf a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, and to pay the fine that may be assessed by the court, together with the costs of prosecution, if any, that may be assessed by the court. Every written authorization shall be filed with the clerk of the court, and shall be retained by the clerk, together with the original complaint, as a portion of the record of the case.
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Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws. Ann. § 12-19-2(e) | Selection of method and amount or term of punishment |
A prisoner authorized to work at paid employment in the community under this section may be required to pay, and the director is authorized to collect, costs incident to the prisoner's confinement as the director deems appropriate and reasonable. These collections shall be deposited with the treasurer as a part of the general revenue of the state.
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