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Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps
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Below are the poverty penalties and poverty traps that meet your search criteria. Many include a See related provisions prompt which searches our database for laws that may pertain to your result.
44 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap | Level of offense | Mandatory | |
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California | Cal. Rules of Court 4.335(4)(B) | Ability to pay determination for infraction offenses | the court may exercise its discretion to: . . . (B) Allow the defendant to complete community service in lieu of paying the total fine (if available) | Community service | Misdemeanor | No |
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California | Cal. Rules of Court 4.335(4)(A) | Ability to pay determination for infraction offenses | the court may exercise its discretion to: (A) Provide for payment on an installment plan | Payment plan/installment plan | Misdemeanor | No |
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California | CA ST J ADMIN STANDARDS Standard 4.40 | Traffic infraction procedures |
to insure the prompt and efficient disposition of traffic infraction cases, each court should:(1) Authorize the clerk, within limits set by the court, to grant defendants extensions of time for + See morethe posting of bail and payment of fines.
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Payment plan/installment plan | Traffic | No |
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California | Cal. Pen. Code § 166(e)(2) | Contempt of court; Stalking; Punishments |
...If probation is granted upon conviction of a violation of subdivision (c), the conditions of probation may include, in lieu of a fine, one or both of the following requirements:(A) That the defendant make payments to a battered women’s shelter, up to a maximum of one thousand dollars ($1,000). (B) That the defendant provide restitution to reimburse the victim for reasonable costs of counseling and other reasonable expenses that the court finds are the direct result of the defendant’s offense.
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Collection fee/interest | Misdemeanor | No |
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California | Cal. Pen. Code § 1465.7(f) | Proceedings in Misdemeanor and Infraction Cases: State surcharge; Transmittal to General Fund; Construction with Vehicle Code provisions |
When amounts owed by an offender as a result of a conviction are paid in installment payments, payments shall be credited pursuant to Section 1203.1d. The amount of the surcharge established by this section shall be transmitted to the State Treasury prior to the county retaining or disbursing the remaining amount of the fines, penalties, and forfeitures imposed.
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Payment plan/installment plan | All | No |
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California | Veh. Code § 42003(a) | Penalties - Public Offense: Payment of fines; Consideration of defendant’s ability to pay |
A judgment that a person convicted of an infraction be punished by a fine may also provide for the payment to be made within a specified time or in specified installments.
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Payment plan/installment plan | Traffic | No |
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California | Cal. Pen. Code § 1462.5 | Proceedings in Misdemeanor and Infraction Cases: Proration of fines, penalties, forfeitures, and fees |
Each installment or partial payment of a fine, penalty, forfeiture or fee shall be prorated among the state and local shares according to the uniform accounting system established by the State Controller pursuant to Section 71380 of the Government Code. In cases subject to Section 1463.18 of the Penal Code, proration shall not occur until the minimum amounts have been transferred to the Restitution Fund as provided in that section.
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Payment plan/installment plan | All | No |
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California | Cal. Pen. Code § 1463.010(f) | Proceedings in Misdemeanor and Infraction Cases: Enforcement of court orders; Guidelines for collection program; Annual report; Business license suspension program; Amnesty |
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Judicial Council, after consultation with the Franchise Tax Board with respect to collections under Section 19280 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, may provide for an amnesty program involving the collection of outstanding fees, fines, forfeitures, penalties, and assessments, applicable either statewide or within one or more counties. The amnesty program shall provide that some or all of the interest or collections costs imposed on outstanding fees, fines, forfeitures, penalties, and assessments may be waived if the remaining amounts due are paid within the amnesty period.
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Collection fee/interest | All | No |
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California | Cal. Rules of Court 4.435(b) | Sentencing on revocation of probation, mandatory supervision, and postrelease community supervision |
(b) On revocation and termination of probation under section 1203.2, when the sentencing judge determines that the defendant will be committed to prison or county jail under section 1170(h):(1) If the imposition of sentence was previously suspended, the judge must impose judgment and sentence after considering any findings previously made and hearing and determining the matters enumerated in rule 4.433(c).The length of the sentence must be based on circumstances existing at the time probation was granted, and subsequent events may not be considered in selecting the base term or in deciding whether to strike the additional punishment for enhancements charged and found.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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California | Cal. Pen. Code § 273a(c)(3)(B) | Endangering child or causing or permitting child to suffer physical pain, mental suffering, or injury; Conditions of probation |
(B) The terms of probation for offenders shall not be lifted until all reasonable fees due to the counseling program have been paid in full, but in no case shall probation be extended beyond the term provided in subdivision (a) of Section 1203.1. If the court finds that the defendant does not have the ability to pay the fees based on the defendant’s changed circumstances, the court may reduce or waive the fees.
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Condition or extension of supervision | Misdemeanor, Felony | No |
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California | Cal. Pen. Code § 1202.43(b) | Payment of restitution fine |
(b) A restitution fine shall be deemed a debt of the defendant owing to the state for the purposes of Sections 12418 and 12419.5 of the Government Code, excepting any amounts the defendant has paid to the victim as a result of the crime. Upon request by the Controller, the district attorney of a county or the Attorney General may take any necessary action to recover amounts owing on a restitution fine. The amount of the recovery shall be increased by a sum sufficient to cover any costs incurred by any state or local agency in the administration of this section. The remedies provided by this subdivision are in addition to any other remedies provided by law for the enforcement of a judgment.
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Collection fee/interest | Misdemeanor, Felony | No |
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California | Cal. Pen. Code § 1205(b) | Judgment imposing fine; Imprisonment pending payment; Default; Fee for processing accounts receivable; Limitation |
(b) Except as otherwise provided in case of fines imposed, as a condition of probation, the defendant shall pay the fine to the clerk of the court, or to the judge if there is no clerk, unless the defendant is taken into custody for nonpayment of the fine, in which event payments made while he or she is in custody shall be made to the officer who holds the defendant in custody, and all amounts paid shall be paid over by the officer to the court that rendered the judgment. The clerk shall report to the court every default in payment of a fine or any part of that fine, or if there is no clerk, the court shall take notice of the default. If time has been given for payment of a fine or it has been made payable in installments, the court shall, upon any default in payment, immediately order the arrest of the defendant and order him or her to show cause why he or she should not be imprisoned until the fine or installment is satisfied in full. If the fine or installment is payable forthwith and it is not paid, the court shall, without further proceedings, immediately commit the defendant to the custody of the proper officer to be held in custody until the fine or installment is satisfied in full.
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Incarceration | Misdemeanor, Felony | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §316.193(6) | Driving under the influence; penalties |
. . . However, in satisfaction of the fine imposed pursuant to this section, the court may, upon a finding that the defendant is financially unable to pay either all or part of the fine, order that the defendant participate for a specified additional period of time in public service or a community work project in lieu of payment of that portion of the fine which the court determines the defendant is unable to pay. In determining such additional sentence, the court shall consider the amount of the unpaid portion of the fine and the reasonable value of the services to be ordered; however, the court may not compute the reasonable value of services at a rate less than the federal minimum wage at the time of sentencing.
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Community service | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §984.22(6) | Power of disposition |
The participation and cooperation of the family, parent, guardian, or custodian, and the child with court-ordered services, treatment, or community service are mandatory, not merely voluntary. The court may use its contempt powers to enforce its order.
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Increased fine | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §948.09(3) | Payment for cost of supervision and other monetary obligations |
Any failure to pay contribution as required under this section may constitute a ground for the revocation of probation by the court, the revocation of parole or conditional release by the Florida Commission on Offender Review, the revocation of control release by the Control Release Authority, or removal from the pretrial intervention program by the state attorney.
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Condition or extension of supervision | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §938.29(1)(c) | Legal assistance; lien for payment of attorney's fees or costs |
The defendant shall pay the application fee under s. 27.52(1)(b) and attorney's fees and costs in full or in installments, at the time or times specified. The court may order payment of the assessed application fee and attorney's fees and costs as a condition of probation, of suspension of sentence, or of withholding the imposition of sentence.
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Condition or extension of supervision | Misdemeanor | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §984.09(2) | Punishment for contempt of court; alternative sanctions |
PLACEMENT IN A SECURE FACILITY.A child may be placed in a secure facility for purposes of punishment for contempt of court if alternative sanctions are unavailable or inappropriate, or if the child has already been ordered to serve an alternative sanction but failed to comply with the sanction.(a) A delinquent child who has been held in direct or indirect contempt may be placed in a secure detention facility for 5 days for a first offense or 15 days for a second or subsequent offense, or in a secure residential commitment facility. (b) A child in need of services who has been held in direct contempt or indirect contempt may be placed, for 5 days for a first offense or 15 days for a second or subsequent offense, in a staff-secure shelter or a staff-secure residential facility solely for children in need of services if such placement is available, or, if such placement is not available, the child may be placed in an appropriate mental health facility or substance abuse facility for assessment. In addition to disposition under this paragraph, a child in need of services who is held in direct contempt or indirect contempt may be placed in a physically secure setting as provided under s. 984.226 if conditions of eligibility are met.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §984.09(4)(d) | Punishment for contempt of court; alternative sanctions |
In addition to any other sanction imposed under this section, the court may direct the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to withhold issuance of, or suspend, a child's driver license or driving privilege. The court may order that a child's driver license or driving privilege be withheld or suspended for up to 1 year for a first offense of contempt and up to 2 years for a second or subsequent offense. If the child's driver license or driving privilege is suspended or revoked for any reason at the time the sanction for contempt is imposed, the court shall extend the period of suspension or revocation by the additional period ordered under this paragraph. If the child's driver license is being withheld at the time the sanction for contempt is imposed, the period of suspension or revocation ordered under this paragraph shall begin on the date on which the child is otherwise eligible to drive. For a child in need of services whose driver license or driving privilege is suspended under this paragraph, the court may direct the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue the child a license for driving privileges restricted to business or employment purposes only, as defined in s. 322.271, or for the purpose of completing court-ordered community service, if the child is otherwise qualified for a license. However, the department may not issue a restricted license unless specifically ordered to do so by the court.
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Driver's license suspension/impoundment | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §985.455(1) | Other dispositional issues |
(1) The court that has jurisdiction over an adjudicated delinquent child may, by an order stating the facts upon which a determination of a sanction and rehabilitative program was made at the disposition hearing:
(a) Require the child and, if the court finds it appropriate, the child's parent or guardian, together with the child, to render community service in a public service program. (b) Order the child and, if the court finds it appropriate, the child's parent or guardian, together with the child, to participate in a community work project, either as an alternative to monetary restitution or as part of the rehabilitative or probation program. (c) Revoke or suspend the driver license of the child. (d) Order the child, upon a determination of the child's inability to pay, to perform community service in lieu of all court costs assessed against the delinquent child, including costs of prosecution, public defender application fees, and costs of representation. |
Community service | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §938.30(5)-(9) | Financial obligations in criminal cases; supplementary proceedings |
(5) The court may order that any nonexempt property of the person which is in the hands of another be applied toward satisfying the obligation. (6) If judgment has not been previously entered on any court-imposed financial obligation, the court may enter judgment thereon and issue any writ necessary to enforce the judgment in the manner allowed in civil cases. Any judgment issued under this section constitutes a civil lien against the judgment debtor’s presently owned or after-acquired property, when recorded pursuant to s. 55.10. Supplementary proceedings undertaken by any governmental entity to satisfy a judgment imposed pursuant to this section may proceed without bond and without the payment of statutory fees associated with judgment enforcement.
(7) Provisions of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act apply to collection matters under this section and may be used to collect any court-imposed financial obligation subject to this section. (8) If a criminal or civil judgment has previously been entered on a court-imposed financial obligation, the judgment constitutes a civil lien against the judgment debtor’s presently owned or after-acquired real or personal property when recorded pursuant to s. 55.10, except that a judgment on a court-imposed financial obligation is not subject to the 10-year rerecording requirement of s. 55.10. The judgment must secure all unpaid court-imposed financial obligations that are due and may accrue subsequent to the recording of the judgment, as well as interest and reasonable costs for issuing a satisfaction and recording the satisfaction in the official records. (9) The clerk of the court shall enforce, satisfy, compromise, settle, subordinate, release, or otherwise dispose of any debts or liens imposed and collected under this section in the same manner as prescribed in s. 938.29(3). |
Property liens | All | No |
The Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder is a project of the National Criminal Justice Debt Initiative of the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School in collaboration with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and with user experience design by metaLAB (at) Harvard.
For more information, please visit cjpp.law.harvard.edu.