50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps
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Mandatory
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Level of Offense
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.
9 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap | Level of offense | Mandatory | |
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Massachusetts | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 276, § 31 | Default Warrant for Failure to Pay — Additional Fees — Payment to Court's Administrative Office. |
Whenever a court issues a default warrant solely due to the person’s failure to pay a fine, assessment, court cost, restitution, support payment or other amount as ordered by the court or required by law, the court shall specify the amount owed, including an additional assessment of $50 which assessment may be waived by the court upon a finding of good cause or upon a finding that such an assessment would cause a substantial financial hardship to the person, the person’s immediate family or the person’s dependents, with a statement that the warrant against the person may be discharged upon payment of the amount and the assessment, if any, and shall note the same in the warrant management system. The administrative office of the trial court shall accept payment of such fine, assessment, court cost, restitution, support payment or other amount as ordered by the court, along with any assessment, to be remitted by mail, telephone or other electronic means, in any form deemed acceptable by the trial court. Upon receipt of payment, the warrant against the person shall be discharged, the discharge shall be noted in the warrant management system and the individual shall receive notice of the discharge within seven days.
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Incarceration, Increased fine | All | Yes |
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Massachusetts | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 279, § 9 | Sentence — Second Sentence for Non-Payment of Fine. |
Except as provided in section one hundred and forty-six of chapter one hundred and twenty-seven, if a convict is sentenced to pay a fine in more than one case and has been committed to a jail, house of correction or other prison or other correctional institution for refusing to pay such fine, the subsequent sentence shall take effect upon the expiration of the imprisonment under the former sentence.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Massachusetts | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 111B | Fraudulent Motor Vehicle Insurance Claims; Penalties; Reimbursement of Insurer. |
If a defendant who is required to make restitution defaults in any payment of restitution or installment thereof, the court shall hold him in contempt unless said defendant has made a good faith effort to pay such restitution.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Massachusetts | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 27A | Removing or Concealing Motor Vehicles or Trailers to Defraud Insurers; Reimbursement of Insurers. |
If a defendant who is required to make restitution defaults in any payment of restitution or installment thereof, the court shall hold him in contempt unless said defendant has made a good faith effort to pay such restitution.
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Incarceration | Felony | Yes |
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Massachusetts | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 29 | Theft of Motor Vehicle; Owner’s Complaint or Information; Restitution by Defendants. |
If a defendant who is required to make restitution defaults in any payment of restitution or installment thereof, the court shall hold him in contempt unless said defendant has made a good faith effort to pay such restitution.
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Incarceration | Felony | Yes |
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Mississippi | Miss. Code. Ann. § 63-1-51 | Grounds for revocation or suspension |
It shall be the duty of the court clerk, upon conviction of any person holding a license issued pursuant to this article where the penalty for a traffic violation is + See moreas much as Ten Dollars ($10.00), to mail a copy of abstract of the court record or provide an electronically or computer generated copy of abstract of the court record immediately to the commissioner at Jackson, Mississippi, showing the date of conviction, penalty, etc., so that a record of same may be made by the Department of Public Safety. The commissioner shall forthwith revoke the license of any person for a period of one (1) year upon receiving a duly certified record of each person's convictions of any of the following offenses when such conviction has become final: . . . (f) Contempt for failure to pay a fine or fee or to respond to a summons or citation pursuant to a charge of a violation of this title.
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Driver's license suspension/impoundment | All | Yes |
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Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. §97-33-1 | Miss. Code Ann. §97-33-1 |
shall be fined in a sum not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($ 500.00); and, unless such fine and costs be immediately paid, shall be imprisoned for any period not + See moremore than ninety (90) days
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Incarceration | Misdemeanor | Yes |
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Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. §97-33-11 | Miss. Code Ann. §97-33-11 |
shall be fined in a sum not more than five hundred dollars; and unless such fine and costs be immediately paid, shall be imprisoned in the county jail for not + See moreless than five nor more than twenty days
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Incarceration | Misdemeanor | Yes |
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Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. §97-35-41 | Miss. Code Ann. §97-35-41 | in addition to being committed to jail is herein provided, such person shall also pay all costs, and shall stand committed until same is paid | Incarceration | Misdemeanor | Yes |
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