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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Kentucky Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 534.020(3)(b),(4) Methods of imposing fines; installment payment plan; determination of reason for defendant's default; show cause hearing; certain installment payments not to be reported as liquidated debt

(b) If the defendant fails to appear at the show cause hearing, the court may issue a warrant for the defendant's arrest. Any warrant for arrest issued for nonpayment of

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court costs, fees, or fines pursuant to this subsection shall include a notice to the jailer that the defendant shall be released upon payment or completion of daily credit pursuant to KRS 534.070.

(4) When a defendant is sentenced to pay court costs, fees, or fines, an alternative sentence of imprisonment that is to be served in the event the court costs, fees, or fines are not paid shall not be imposed at the same time. The response of a court to nonpayment shall be determined only after:

(a) The court costs, fees, or fines have not been paid; and

(b) 1. The show cause hearing has been held pursuant to subsections (2)(a) and (3)(a) of this section; or 2. The defendant has failed to appear at the show cause hearing as outlined in subsection (3)(b) of this section.

Other All No
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Kentucky Ky. RCr 2.05 Bench Warrants

Whenever a witness or defendant fails to appear in court as duly required, the presiding judge may issue a warrant for his or her arrest without the necessity of a

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supporting affidavit or complaint.

Other All No
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Kentucky Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 532.033(8) Order of restitution

When a judge orders restitution, the judge shall:

(8) Not release the defendant from probation supervision until restitution has been paid in full and all other aspects of the probation order

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have been successfully completed.

Condition or extension of supervision All Yes
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Missouri Mo. Ann. Stat. § 558.006 Response to nonpayment

When an offender sentenced to pay a fine defaults in the payment of the fine or in any installment, the fine or installment shall be collected by any means authorized for the enforcement

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collection of money judgments, other than a lien against real estate, or may be waived at the discretion of the sentencing judge.

Other, Wage/bank account garnishment All No
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Missouri Mo. Ann. Stat. § 559.016(3) Terms of probation - extension

The court may extend a period of probation, however, no more than one extension of any probation may be ordered except that the court may extend the total time on

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probation by one additional year by order of the court if the defendant admits he or she has violated the conditions of his or her probation or is found by the court to have violated the conditions of his or her probation. 

Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Missouri Mo. Ann. Stat. § 559.021(2)(1) Conditions of probation--compensation of victims--free work, public or charitable--defendant not an employee for workers’ compensation purposes--payment to county restitution fund, when

In addition to such other authority as exists to order conditions of probation, the court may order such conditions as the court believes will serve to compensate the victim, any

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dependent of the victim, any statutorily created fund for costs incurred as a result of the offender's actions, or society. Such conditions may include restorative justice methods pursuant to section 217.777, or any other method that the court finds just or appropriate including, but not limited to: (1) Restitution to the victim or any dependent of the victim, or statutorily created fund for costs incurred as a result of the offender's actions in an amount to be determined by the judge.

Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Missouri Mo. Ann. Stat. § 488.020 Collection of court costs, when, how

Upon notification to the party from whom the fee is due, a failure to pay the fee after such notice, and a showing of the party's ability to pay the

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fee, the court may hold the party in contempt.

Incarceration, Increased fine, Other All No
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Missouri Mo. Rev. Stat. § 488.020(3)-(4) Collection of court costs, when, how

The supreme court may provide by rule for imposition of interest on any court costs not paid within thirty days of when due. If any court cost is not paid

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when due, the following actions may be taken:

(3) Upon notification to the party from whom the court cost is due, and upon failure to pay the fee after such notice, the court may inform the office of administration of any delinquencies in excess of twenty-five dollars. Upon receiving such notice, and without further notice by the office of administration to the defaulting party, the office of administration shall deduct the amount of unpaid court costs from any payment by the state to the defaulting party under any provision of law. The office of administration shall transmit the amount set off to the court, and shall send the excess amount to the payee, with a notice that the remainder of the refund was transmitted to the court in satisfaction of all or part of the unpaid court costs. The office of administration and its officials and employees shall not be liable to any person for any action taken in accordance with the requirements of this subdivision. Any proceeding contesting any action taken by a court or the office of administration pursuant to this subdivision shall be brought in the court which certified such unpaid fees to the office of administration, and shall be deemed ancillary to the proceeding for which such unpaid fees were assessed. No appearance, responsive pleading or discovery shall be due from the office of administration in such proceeding except upon order of the court;

(4) Upon notification to the party from whom the fee is due, a failure to pay the fee after such notice, and a showing of the party's ability to pay the fee, the court may hold the party in contempt.

 

Collection fee/interest, Incarceration, Increased fine, Other, Wage/bank account garnishment All No
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Missouri Mo. Ann. Stat. § 600.093 Probation, payment for services may be condition

The court may require a defendant to repay all or a part of the value of the legal services rendered by the state public defender system as a condition of

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probation.

Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Missouri Mo. Ann. Stat. § 302.341
Moving traffic violation, failure to prepay fine or appear in court, license suspended, procedure — reinstatement when — excessive revenue from fines to be distributed to schools — definition, state
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highways

If a Missouri resident charged with a moving traffic violation of this state or any county or municipality of this state fails to dispose of the charges of which the

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resident is accused through authorized prepayment of fine and court costs and fails to appear on the return date or at any subsequent date to which the case has been continued, or without good cause fails to pay any fine or court costs assessed against the resident for any such violation within the period of time specified or in such installments as approved by the court or as otherwise provided by law, any court having jurisdiction over the charges shall within ten days of the failure to comply inform the defendant by ordinary mail at the last address shown on the court records that the court will order the director of revenue to suspend the defendant's driving privileges if the charges are not disposed of and fully paid within thirty days from the date of mailing. Thereafter, if the defendant fails to timely act to dispose of the charges and fully pay any applicable fines and court costs, the court shall notify the director of revenue of such failure and of the pending charges against the defendant. Upon receipt of this notification, the director shall suspend the license of the driver, effective immediately, and provide notice of the suspension to the driver at the last address for the driver shown on the records of the department of revenue. Such suspension shall remain in effect until the court with the subject pending charge requests setting aside the noncompliance suspension pending final disposition, or satisfactory evidence of disposition of pending charges and payment of fine and court costs, if applicable, is furnished to the director by the individual. The filing of financial responsibility with the bureau of safety responsibility, department of revenue, shall not be required as a condition of reinstatement of a driver's license suspended solely under the provisions of this section.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic Yes
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Missouri Mo. Rev. Stat. § 488.5028(1)-(3) Court cost delinquencies, income tax setoff may be requested, procedure

1. If a person fails to pay court costs, fines, fees, or other sums ordered by a court, to be paid to the state or political subdivision, a court may report

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any such delinquencies in excess of twenty-five dollars to the office of state courts administrator and request that the state courts administrator seek a setoff of an income tax refund. The state courts administrator shall set guidelines necessary to effectuate the purpose of the offset program. The office of state courts administrator also shall seek a setoff of any income tax refund and lottery prize payouts made to a person whose name has been reported to the office as being delinquent pursuant to section 221.070.

2. The office of state courts administrator shall provide to: (1) The department of revenue, the information necessary to identify each debtor whose refund is sought to be set off and the amount of the debt or debts owed by any debtor who is entitled to a tax refund in excess of twenty-five dollars and any debtor under section 221.070 who is entitled to a tax refund of any amount; and (2) The state lottery commission, the information necessary to identify each debtor whose lottery prize payouts are sought to be set off and the amount of the debt or debts owed by the debtor under section 221.070.

3. The department of revenue shall notify the office of state courts administrator that a refund has been set off, and the state lottery commission shall notify the office when a lottery prize payout has been set off, on behalf of a court. The department or commission shall certify the amount of such setoff, which shall not exceed the amount of the claimed debt certified. When the refund owed or lottery prize payouts exceed the claimed debt, the department of revenue when a refund is set off, or the state lottery commission when lottery prizes are set off, shall send the excess amount to the debtor within a reasonable time after such excess is determined.

Other, Wage/bank account garnishment All No
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Missouri Mo. Rev. Stat. § 479.356 Failure to pay court costs, fines, or fees, setoff of income tax refund, when

If a person fails to pay court costs, fines, fees, or other sums ordered by a municipal court, to be paid to the state or political subdivision, a municipal court

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may report any such delinquencies in excess of twenty-five dollars to the director of the department of revenue and request that the department seek a setoff of an income tax refund as provided by sections 143.782 to 143.788.

Other All No
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Missouri Mo. Ann. Stat. § 559.105 Restitution may be ordered for tampering and stealing offenses--limitation on release from probation--payment

1. Any person who has been found guilty of or has pled guilty to an offense may be ordered by the court to make restitution to the victim for the

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victim's losses due to such offense. Restitution pursuant to this section shall include, but not be limited to a victim's reasonable expenses to participate in the prosecution of the crime.
2. No person ordered by the court to pay restitution pursuant to this section shall be released from probation until such restitution is complete. If full restitution is not made within the original term of probation, the court shall order the maximum term of probation allowed for such offense.
3. Any person eligible to be released on parole shall be required, as a condition of parole, to make restitution pursuant to this section. The board of probation and parole shall not release any person from any term of parole for such offense until the person has completed such restitution, or until the maximum term of parole for such offense has been served.
4. The court may set an amount of restitution to be paid by the defendant. Said amount may be taken from the inmate's account at the department of corrections while the defendant is incarcerated. Upon conditional release or parole, if any amount of such court-ordered restitution is unpaid, the payment of the unpaid balance may be collected as a condition of conditional release or parole by the prosecuting attorney or circuit attorney under section 559.100. The prosecuting attorney or circuit attorney may refer any failure to make such restitution as a condition of conditional release or parole to the parole board for enforcement.
 

Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Missouri Mo. Rev. Stat. § 600.089 Parolees to pay for representation, when

If the public defender commission has obtained a judgment against an offender in the custody of the department of corrections, and the offender is later paroled and becomes financially able

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to pay all or some part of such judgment, he shall be required, as a condition of his continued parole, to pay over to the public defender commission such amounts as he can reasonably pay, either by a single payment or by installments of reasonable amounts, in accordance with the schedule of charges for public defender services prepared pursuant to section 600.090.

Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Pennsylvania Pa. R. Crim. P. 430(B)(4) Failure to respond to traffic citation
(4) that failure to respond to the citation as provided above within the time specified: (a) shall result in the issuance of
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a summons when a violation of an ordinance or any parking offense is charged, or when the defendant is under 18 years of age, and in all other cases shall result in the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the defendant; and (b) shall result in the suspension of the defendant’s driver’s license when a violation of the Vehicle Code is charged;
Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic Yes
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Pennsylvania 75 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 1541 Period of disqualification, revocation or suspension of operating privilege
Continued suspension of operating privilege.--A defendant ordered by the court under section 3816 (relating to requirements for driving under influence offenders), as the result of a conviction or Accelerated Rehabilitative
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Disposition of a violation of section 3802 to attend a treatment program for alcohol or drug addiction must successfully complete all requirements of the treatment program ordered by the court before the defendant's operating privilege may be restored. Successful completion of a treatment program includes the payment of all court-imposed fines and costs, as well as fees to be paid to the treatment program by the defendant. For the purposes of restoring a suspended license, being current on a payment plan shall be considered as a part of a successfully completed program. If a defendant fails to successfully complete the requirements of a treatment program, the suspension shall remain in effect until the defendant completes the program and is otherwise eligible for restoration of his operating privilege. The treatment agency shall immediately notify the court of successful completion of the treatment program. The final decision as to whether a defendant has successfully completed the treatment program rests with the court.
Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic Yes