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Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps

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	State	Statute	Description/Statute Name	Statutory language	Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap	Level of offense	Mandatory
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. Ann. § 12.55.035(d)	Fines	If a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine, the court may grant permission for the payment to be made within a specified period of time or in specified installments.	Payment plan/installment plan	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. Ann. § 12.55.051(a)	Enforcement of Fines and Restitution	If the defendant defaults in the payment of a fine or any installment or of restitution or any installment, the court may order the defendant to show cause why the + See more defendant should not be sentenced to imprisonment for nonpayment and, if the payment was made a condition of the defendant's probation, may revoke the probation of the defendant subject to the limits set out in AS 12.55.110.	Condition or extension of supervision	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. Ann. § 12.55.051(a)	Enforcement of Fines and Restitution	If the court does not find that the default was attributable to the defendant's inability to pay despite having made continuing good faith efforts to pay the fine or restitution, + See more the court may order the defendant imprisoned subject to the limits set out in AS 12.55.110. A term of imprisonment imposed under this section may not exceed one day for each $50 of the unpaid portion of the fine or restitution or one year, whichever is shorter. Credit shall be given toward satisfaction of the order of the court for every day a person is incarcerated for nonpayment of a fine or restitution.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. Ann. § 12.55.055(c)	Community work	The court may offer a defendant convicted of an offense the option of performing community work in lieu of a fine, surcharge, or portion of a fine or surcharge if + See more the court finds the defendant is unable to pay the fine. The value of community work in lieu of a fine is the state's minimum wage for each hour.	Community service	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. Ann. § 28.15.181(g)	Court Suspensions, Revocations, and Limitations	The court may suspend the driver's license, privilege to drive, or privilege to obtain a license of a person who fails to appear in court as required by a citation + See more for an offense involving a moving motor vehicle, or who fails to pay a fine as required by the court for an offense involving a moving motor vehicle. If the court suspends a driver's license under this subsection, the court shall also provide notice of the suspension to the department. A suspension imposed under this subsection remains in effect until the person appears in court as required by the citation, or pays the fine as required by the court. When the person appears in court or pays the required fine, the court shall terminate the suspension imposed under this subsection and provide the department and the person with written notice of the termination.	Driver's license suspension/impoundment	Traffic	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. Ann. § 12.55.045(c)	Restitution and Compensation	If a defendant is sentenced to pay restitution, the court may grant permission for the payment to be made within a specified period of time or in specified installments. If + See more the defendant fails to make one or more payments required under this section, the victim or the state on the victim's behalf may enforce the total amount remaining under the order of restitution as provided in (l) of this section.	Payment plan/installment plan	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. Ann. § 28.01.015(a)(5)	Municipal Impoundment and Forfeiture	(a) Notwithstanding other provisions in this title, a municipality may adopt an ordinance providing for the impoundment or forfeiture of a: (5) motor vehicle used by a person who has $1,000 + See more or more in delinquent traffic fines for moving violations committed within the municipality.	Driver's license suspension/impoundment	Traffic	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. § 28.20.370	Installment Payment of Judgments; Default	(a) A judgment debtor upon due notice to the judgment creditor may apply to the court in which such judgment was rendered for the privilege of paying the judgment in installments + See more and the court, without prejudice at any other legal remedy, may order and fix the amount and time of payment of the installments; (b) The department may not suspend a license or nonresident’s operating privilege, and shall restore a license or nonresident’s operating privilege suspended following nonpayment of a judgment, when the judgment debtor gives proof of financial responsibility and obtains an order permitting the payment of the judgment in installments; (c) If the judgment debtor fails to pay an installment specified by the court order, upon notice of default, the department shall immediately suspend the license or nonresident’s operating privilege of the judgment debtor until the judgment is satisfied as provided in this chapter.	Driver's license suspension/impoundment	Traffic	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. § 12.55.039(b)	Surcharge	A court may not fail to impose the surcharge required under this section. The surcharge may not be waived, deferred, or suspended. A court may allow a defendant who is + See more unable to pay the surcharge required to be imposed under this section to perform community work under AS 12.55.055(c) in lieu of the surcharge.	Community service	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Alaska	Alaska Stat. § 12.55.035(d)	Fines	If a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine, the court may grant permission for the payment to be made within a specified period of time or in specified installments.	Payment plan/installment plan	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-210	Levy of fine against property	Any fine against any person under section 53a-209 may be levied against any of his real property, personal property, tangible or intangible, choses in action or property of any kind + See more or nature, including debts owing to him, which may be situated or found in this state.	Property liens	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-356d	Installment payment order.	(a) When a judgment is rendered against a natural person, the judgment creditor or judgment debtor may move the court for an order for installment payments in accordance with a + See more money judgment. After hearing and consideration of the judgment debtors financial circumstances, the court may order installment payments reasonably calculated to facilitate payment of the judgment.	Payment plan/installment plan	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-399	Commitment of debtor for contempt.	Any judge before whom any such examination is ordered may commit the judgment debtor for contempt in case of his neglect or refusal to attend or be sworn at the + See more examination or to answer any question put to him during the examination, and any such neglect or refusal, if the examination is ordered or had before a committee, may be by such committee reported to the judge by whom he was appointed, which judge may thereupon proceed for the contempt as fully as if the examination had been ordered or had before himself.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-164r	Failure to pay or plead	(a) Any person charged with an infraction who fails to pay the fine and any additional fee imposed or send in his plea of not guilty by the answer date + See more or wilfully fails to appear for any scheduled court appearance date which may be required shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor.(b) Any person charged with any violation specified in subsection (b) of section 51-164n who fails to pay the fine and any additional fee imposed or send in his plea of not guilty by the answer date or wilfully fails to appear for any scheduled court appearance date which may be required shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.	Increased fine	Misdemeanor	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 18-50(a)(2)	Credit against unpaid fine for time spent in confinement, employed or performing community service	(2) Each person committed to any community correctional center upon conviction of any criminal offense, and held therein only for the payment of a fine, may be released from confinement + See more by the Commissioner of Correction and, with the agreement of the Court Support Services Division within the Judicial Department, be transferred to said division subject to the requirement that such person perform community service under the supervision of said division until the period of community service performed by such person at the rate of fifty dollars a day amounts to such fine or the balance thereof remaining unpaid. Any person so transferred shall remain under the jurisdiction of the commissioner. Such person shall be discharged from the jurisdiction of the commissioner when such person completes the period of community service required to be performed when computed in accordance with this subdivision or immediately upon payment of the fine in full. If, at any time during such persons release from confinement pursuant to this subdivision, the commissioner determines that the conduct of such person is unsuitable for continuation in such program of community service, such person may be returned to confinement.	Community service	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 18-85(b)	Compensation of inmates. Deposit in account. Disbursement priorities.	(b) Compensation so earned shall be deposited, under the direction of the Commissioner of Correction, in an account in a savings bank or state bank and trust company in this + See more state or an account administered by the State Treasurer. Any compensation so earned shall be paid to the inmate on the inmates release from incarceration, except that the commissioner may, while the inmate is in custody, disburse any compensation earned by such inmate in accordance with the following priorities: (1) Federal taxes due; (2) restitution or payment of compensation to a crime victim ordered by any court of competent jurisdiction; (3) payment of a civil judgment rendered in favor of a crime victim by any court of competent jurisdiction; (4) victims compensation through the criminal injuries account administered by the Office of Victim Services; (5) state taxes due; (6) support of the inmates dependents, if any; (7) the inmates necessary travel expense to and from work and other incidental expenses; (8) deposits credited to the inmates discharge savings account under section 18-84a; (9) costs of such inmates incarceration under section 18-85a and regulations adopted in accordance with said section; and (10) payment to the clerk of the court in which an inmate, confined in a correctional facility only for payment of a fine, was convicted, such portion of such compensation as is necessary to pay such fine.	Wage/bank account garnishment	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-28a	Enforcement of orders of financial restitution.	All financial obligations ordered pursuant to subsection (c) of section 53a-28 or subsection (a) of section 53a-30, as amended by this act, may be enforced in the same manner as a + See more judgment in a civil action by the party or entity to whom the obligation is owed. The party or entity seeking enforcement of the financial obligations as a judgment in a civil action shall file with the Superior Court a copy of the court’s order of restitution ordered pursuant to section 53a-28 or 53a-30, as amended by this act, together with an affidavit prepared by the agency or entity monitoring payment of the obligations, on a form prescribed by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, attesting to the terms of restitution and manner of performance fixed by the court or the Court Support Services Division, identifying the amount of the obligation that has been paid and the amount of the obligation that is owed. Such obligations may be enforced at any time during the ten-year period following the offender’s release from confinement or termination of probation, or within ten years of the entry of the order and sentence, whichever is longer. There shall be no entry fee for filing an enforcement action pursuant to this section. Not later than thirty days after the date of filing of the judgment and the affidavit, the party or entity seeking enforcement of such judgment shall mail notice of filing of the judgment by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the offender at such offender’s last-known address. The proceeds of an execution shall not be distributed to the party or entity seeking enforcement of such judgment earlier than thirty days after the date of filing proof of service with the clerk of the court in which enforcement of such judgment is sought. No fee shall be required for the filing of an execution. The payment of marshal’s fees for service of an execution shall be collected in accordance with the provisions of section 52-261.	Property liens	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-350f	Enforcement of money judgment. Costs, fees and interest.	A money judgment may be enforced against any property of the judgment debtor unless the property is exempt from application to the satisfaction of the judgment under section 52-352a, 52-352b, + See more 52-352d or 52-361a or any other provision of the general statutes or federal law. The money judgment may be enforced, by execution or by foreclosure of a real property lien, to the amount of the money judgment with (1) all statutory costs and fees as provided by the general statutes, (2) interest as provided by chapter 673 on the money judgment and on the costs incurred in obtaining the judgment, and (3) any attorneys fees allowed pursuant to section 52-400c.	Property liens	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-361a	Execution on wages after judgment.	(a) Application. If a judgment debtor fails to comply with an installment payment order, the judgment creditor may apply to the court for a wage execution. The application shall contain + See more the judgment creditor's or the judgment creditor's attorney's statement setting forth the particulars of the installment payment order and of the judgment debtor's failure to comply. The application shall be accompanied by a fee of one hundred dollars payable to the clerk of the court for the administrative costs of complying with the provisions of this section which fee may be recoverable by the judgment creditor as a taxable cost of the action.	Wage/bank account garnishment	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Connecticut	Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-74.	Remission of fine.	Any judge of the Superior Court may remit any fine, if in his judgment such course will tend to the reformation of offenders or the furtherance of the ends of justice.		All	No

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