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
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Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws § 769.3(2) Conditional sentence - installments
(2) Except for a person who is convicted of criminal sexual conduct in the first or third degree, the court may also place the offender on probation with the condition
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that the offender pay a fine, costs, damages, restitution, or any combination in installments with any limited time and may, upon default in any of those payments, impose sentence as provided by law.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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North Dakota N.D. Cent. Code § 29-26-22(4) Judgment for fines--Court administration fee--Community service supervision fee--Special funds--Docketing and enforcement
A judgment that the defendant pay a fine or fees, or both, may be docketed and if docketed constitutes a lien upon the real estate of the defendant in like
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manner as a judgment for money rendered in a civil action. The court may allow the defendant to pay any assessed administration fee or community service supervision fee in installments. When a defendant is assessed administration fees or a community service supervision fee, the court may not impose at the same time an alternative sentence to be served if the fees are not paid.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Pennsylvania 42 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 9730 Failure to pay court costs, restitution and fines
(b) Procedures regarding default.-- . . . (3) If the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge determines that the defendant is without the financial means to pay
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the fine or costs immediately or in a single remittance, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may provide for payment in installments. In determining the appropriate installments, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge shall consider the defendant's financial resources, the defendant's ability to make restitution and reparations and the nature of the burden the payment will impose on the defendant. If the defendant is in default of a payment or advises the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge that default is imminent, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may schedule a rehearing on the payment schedule. At the rehearing the defendant has the burden of proving changes of financial condition such that the defendant is without the means to meet the payment schedule. The issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may extend or accelerate the schedule, leave it unaltered or sentence the defendant to a period of community service as the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge finds to be just and practicable under the circumstances.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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New Jersey N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2B:12-23.1 Community Service
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, if a municipal court finds that a person does not have the ability to pay a penalty in full on the date
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of the hearing or has failed to pay a previously imposed penalty, the court may order the person to perform community service in lieu of the payment of a penalty; or, order the payment of the penalty in installments for a period of time determined by the court. If a person defaults on any payment and a municipal court finds that the defendant does not have the ability to pay, the court may: (1) reduce the penalty, suspend the penalty, or modify the installment plan; (2) order that credit be given against the amount owed for each day of confinement, if the court finds that the person has served jail time for the default; (3) revoke any unpaid portion of the penalty, if the court finds that the circumstances that warranted the imposition have changed or that it would be unjust to require payment; (4) order the person to perform community service in lieu of payment of the penalty; or (5) impose any other alternative permitted by law in lieu of payment of the penalty. b. For the purposes of this section, “penalty” means any fine, statutorily-mandated assessment, surcharge or other financial penalty imposed by a municipal court, except restitution or a surcharge assessed pursuant to subsection f. of section 1 of P.L.2000, c. 75 (C.39:4-97.2).
Payment plan/installment plan All 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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New Jersey N.J. Stat. Ann. § 17:29A-35 Motor vehicle violations surcharges for private passenger automobiles
If, upon written notification from the commission or its designee, mailed to the last address of record with the commission, a driver fails to pay a surcharge levied under this section and
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collectible by the commission, the driving privilege of the driver shall be suspended forthwith until at least five percent of each outstanding surcharge assessment that has resulted in suspension is paid to the commission; except that the commission may authorize payment of the surcharge on an installment basis over a period of 12 months for assessments under $2,300 or 24 months for assessments of $2,300 or more. The commission, for good cause, may authorize payment of any surcharge on an installment basis over a period not to exceed 36 months. If a driver fails to pay the surcharge or any installments on the surcharge, the total surcharge shall become due immediately, except as otherwise prescribed by rule of the commission.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Mississippi Miss. Code Ann. § 99-37-5(1) Payment and orders
When a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine or costs or ordered to make restitution, the court may order payment to be made forthwith or within a specified period
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of time or in specified installments. If a defendant is sentenced to a term of imprisonment, an order of payment of a fine, costs or restitution shall not be enforceable during the period of imprisonment unless the court expressly finds that the defendant has assets to pay all or part of the amounts ordered at the time of sentencing.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Louisiana CCRP 887 C Payment plan for fines and costs assessed
...In the event the person is unable to pay the fine when assessed, the court may allow payment within certain time limits, based on the person's ability to pay such
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costs.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Louisiana LA Rev Stat §13:1000.13.D Payment plan for warrant recall fee
In the event that an individual is unable to pay the cost when assessed, the court may allow payment to be deferred within a certain time frame, based on the
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person's ability to pay the costs.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 14-1-202(B) Compromise of fine
(B) The clerk of the appropriate court, or county treasurer or municipal treasurer, as appropriate, may compromise any fine, penalty, cost, fee, assessment, surcharge, service charge, restitution, or other amount
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imposed by a court or as a direct consequence of a court order to the extent necessary to collect these items. If a clerk or treasurer compromises an amount pursuant to this subsection, the proceeds representing the collected amount must be distributed pro rata to the entities that otherwise would have received the original amount.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 14-17-725 Installment Plan
Where criminal fines, assessments, or restitution payments are paid through installments, a collection cost charge of three percent of the payment also must be collected by the clerk of court,
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magistrate, or municipal court from the defendant and transferred to the county treasurer or city treasurer, as appropriate, for deposit to credit of the county or municipal general fund.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 17-22-110 Intervention program payment plan
An applicant to an intervention program or an offender who applies to the chief administrative judge of the court of general sessions for admission to a program pursuant to Section
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17-22-100 shall pay a nonrefundable application fee of one hundred dollars and, if accepted into the program, a nonrefundable participation fee of two hundred fifty dollars prior to admission. All fees paid must be deposited into a special circuit solicitor's fund for operation of the pretrial intervention program. All fees or costs of supervision may be waived partially or totally by the solicitor in cases of indigency. The solicitor may also, if he determines necessary, in situations other than indigency allow scheduling of payments in lieu of lump sum payment. In no case shall aggregate fees for application and participation in an intervention program exceed three hundred fifty dollars. However, in cases where the solicitor determines that referral to another agency or program is needed to achieve rehabilitation for a problem directly related to the charge, the defendant may be required to pay his participation in that special program, except that no services may be denied due to inability to pay.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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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
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money judgment. After hearing and consideration of the judgment debtor’s financial circumstances, the court may order installment payments reasonably calculated to facilitate payment of the judgment.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 22-3425(2) Commitment for failure to pay fine and costs
Any person confined in the county jail for failure to pay a fine or costs may be released by the court which imposed sentence, upon satisfactory proof that such person
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is unable to pay such fine and costs. A release under this section shall not discharge a person from his liability to pay the fine and costs adjudged against him, but they may thereafter be collected by execution as on judgments in civil cases.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Oklahoma 22 Okl.St.Ann. § 983B Imprisonment or recommendation of suspension of driving privileges for failure to pay fines, costs, fees, or assessments--Hearing--Installments
After a judicial determination that the defendant is able to pay the fine, cost, fee, or assessment in installments, the court may order the fine, cost, fee, or assessment to
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be paid in installments and shall set the amount and date for each installment.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Tennessee Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-24-105(g) Collection; fines, costs and litigation taxes; license revocation
After a fine, costs, or litigation taxes have been in default for at least five (5) years, the criminal or general sessions court clerk may, subject to approval by a
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court of competent jurisdiction, accept a lump-sum partial payment in full settlement of the outstanding balance due on a case. The court shall not approve a settlement unless the amount accepted is equal to or greater than fifty percent (50%) of the combined outstanding balance of all fines, costs, and litigation taxes due on the case. When moneys are paid into court pursuant to this subsection (g), the allocation formula outlined in subsection (a) shall be followed, except the percentage that may be retained by the clerk pursuant to subsection (d) may be withheld, with the remainder being allocated according to the formula.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Utah Utah Code Ann. § 76-3-201.1(b) Collection of criminal judgments--installment plan
Criminal judgment accounts receivable means any amount due the state arising from a criminal judgment for which payment has not been received by the state agency that is servicing the
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debt... The court may permit a defendant to pay a criminal judgment account receivable in installments.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Wisconsin Wis. Stat. § 800.035(2)(a)(4) Initial Appearance in Municipal Court
(2) If a defendant appears in person, all of the following shall occur:(a) The court shall, either orally or in writing, do all of the following: 4. Inform the
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defendant that if he or she is unable to pay the forfeiture, costs, fees, or surcharges due to poverty, he or she may request an installment payment, community service, or a stay of the judgment.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Arizona Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-804(M) Restitution for offense causing economic loss; fine for reimbursement of public monies; notification of arrearage; review hearing

If the defendant, the state or persons entitled to restitution pursuant to a court order disagree with the manner of payment established in subsection E of this section, the defendant,

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court or person entitled to restitution may petition the court at any time to change the manner in which the restitution is paid. Before modifying the order pertaining to the manner in which the restitution is paid, the court shall give notice and an opportunity to be heard to the defendant, the state and, on request, persons entitled to restitution pursuant to a court order.

Payment plan/installment plan All No
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Arizona Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-808(A) Time and method of payment of fine; conditions of probation; no limitation on restitution and other assessments

If a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine alone or in addition to any other sentence, the court or a probation officer or a staff member designated by the

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court may grant permission for payment to be made within a specified period of time or in specified installments. If no such permission is embodied in the sentence the fine shall be payable immediately.

Payment plan/installment plan All No