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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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 61-4-250. Revocation of license
If the department imposes a monetary penalty under this section which is not paid or a contested case hearing requested within thirty days after demand by the department, the license
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or licenses may be suspended or revoked by the department.
Driver's license suspension/impoundment All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 61-4-270. Revocation of permits. Revocation of permit In addition to the penalties provided in this chapter, the department may revoke the permit of a person failing to comply with any requirements hereof. Driver's license suspension/impoundment All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 63-19-450. Youth Industries Program Wage Garnishment
The director must deduct from wages paid to a juvenile: (1) state, federal, and local taxes; (2) allocations for support of children pursuant to law, court order, or agreement by the committed
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juvenile; and (3) contributions to any fund established by law to compensate the victims of crime of not more than twenty percent and not less than five percent of gross wages.
Wage/bank account garnishment All Yes
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 63-19-460 Juvenile Wage Garnishment
(C) The wages of a juvenile authorized to work in the Youth Industries Program, if paid other than by the department, must be paid directly to the Department of Juvenile
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Justice and credited to the juvenile's account. If the wages are paid by an entity other than the department, these wages must be paid directly to the department, and the department shall credit the wages to the juvenile's account. The director must deduct from wages paid to a juvenile: (1) state, federal, and local taxes; (2) allocations for support of children pursuant to law, court order, or agreement by the committed juvenile; and (3) contributions to any fund established by law to compensate the victims of crime of not more than twenty percent and not less than five percent of gross wages.
Wage/bank account garnishment All Yes
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 24-21-100 civil contempt
(A) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 24-19-120, 24-21-440, 24-21-560(B), or 24-21-670, when an individual has not fulfilled the individual's obligations for payment of financial obligations by the end of the
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individual's term of supervision, then the individual shall be placed under quarterly administrative monitoring, as defined in Section 24-21-5, by the department until such time as those financial obligations are paid in full or a consent order of judgment is filed. If the individual under administrative monitoring fails to make reasonable progress toward the payment of such financial obligations, as determined by the department, the department may petition the court to hold an individual in civil contempt for failure to pay the financial obligations. The department shall provide written notice of the petition and any scheduled contempt hearing by depositing the notice in the United States mail with postage prepaid addressed to the person at the address contained in the records of the department. The giving of notice by mail is complete ten days after the deposit of the notice. A certificate by the director of the department or the director's designee that the notice has been sent as required in this section is presumptive proof that the requirements as to notice of petition and any scheduled contempt hearing have been met even if the notice has not been received by the offender. If the court finds the individual has the ability to pay but has not made reasonable progress toward payment, the court may hold the individual in civil contempt of court and may impose a term of confinement in the local detention center until payment of the financial obligations, but in no case to exceed ninety days of confinement. Following any term of confinement, the individual shall be returned to quarterly administrative monitoring by the department. If the individual under administrative monitoring does not have the ability to pay the financial obligations and has no reasonable likelihood of being able to pay in the future, the department may submit a consent order of judgment to the court, which shall relieve the individual of any further administrative monitoring.
Incarceration All Yes
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. §22-3-800 Community service
Notwithstanding the limitations of Sections 17-25-100 and 24-21-410, after a conviction or plea for an offense within a magistrate's jurisdiction the magistrate at the time of sentence may suspend the
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imposition or execution of a sentence upon terms and conditions the magistrate considers appropriate, including imposing or suspending up to one hundred hours of community service, except where the amount of community service is established otherwise.
Community service All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. §24-21-100 Administrative monitoring when fines outstanding; fee.
(A) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 24-19-120, 24-21-440, 24-21-560(B), or 24-21-670, when an individual has not fulfilled the individual's obligations for payment of financial obligations by the end of the
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individual's term of supervision, then the individual shall be placed under quarterly administrative monitoring, as defined in Section 24-21-5, by the department until such time as those financial obligations are paid in full or a consent order of judgment is filed. If the individual under administrative monitoring fails to make reasonable progress toward the payment of such financial obligations, as determined by the department, the department may petition the court to hold an individual in civil contempt for failure to pay the financial obligations. The department shall provide written notice of the petition and any scheduled contempt hearing by depositing the notice in the United States mail with postage prepaid addressed to the person at the address contained in the records of the department. The giving of notice by mail is complete ten days after the deposit of the notice. A certificate by the director of the department or the director's designee that the notice has been sent as required in this section is presumptive proof that the requirements as to notice of petition and any scheduled contempt hearing have been met even if the notice has not been received by the offender. If the court finds the individual has the ability to pay but has not made reasonable progress toward payment, the court may hold the individual in civil contempt of court and may impose a term of confinement in the local detention center until payment of the financial obligations, but in no case to exceed ninety days of confinement. Following any term of confinement, the individual shall be returned to quarterly administrative monitoring by the department. If the individual under administrative monitoring does not have the ability to pay the financial obligations and has no reasonable likelihood of being able to pay in the future, the department may submit a consent order of judgment to the court, which shall relieve the individual of any further administrative monitoring.(B) An individual placed on administrative monitoring shall pay a regular monitoring fee toward offsetting the cost of his administrative monitoring for the period of time that he remains under monitoring. The regular monitoring fee must be determined by the department based upon the ability of the person to pay. The fee must not be more than ten dollars a month. All regular monitoring fees must be retained by the department, carried forward, and applied to the department's operation.
Condition or extension of supervision All Yes
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 16-3-1260(2) Payment plan
(2) The Circuit Court, when placing on probation a person who owes a debt to the State as a consequence of a criminal act, may set as a condition of
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probation the payment of the debt or a portion of the debt to the State. The court also may set the schedule or amounts of payments subject to modification based on change of circumstances.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 16-3-1260(6) Restitution payment wage garnishment
(6) Restitution payments to the State Office of Victim Assistance may be made by the Department of Corrections from wages accumulated by offenders in its custody who are subject to
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this article, except that offenders' wages must not be used for this purpose if monthly wages are at or below minimums required to purchase basic necessities.
Wage/bank account garnishment All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 17-3-40(B) Lien against real or personal property
(A) The appointment of counsel, as hereinbefore provided, creates a claim against the assets and estate of the person who is provided counsel in an amount equal to the costs
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of representation as determined pursuant to Sections 17-3-50 and 17-3-80, less that amount that the person pays to the defender corporation of the county or counties wherein he is being represented or the judicial department as provided for in Section 17-3-30. (B) Such claim shall be filed in the office of the clerk of court in the county where the person is assigned counsel, but the filing of a claim shall not constitute a lien against real or personal property of the person unless, in the discretion of the court, part or all of such claim is reduced to judgment by appropriate order of the court, after serving the person with at least thirty days' notice that judgment will be entered. When a claim is reduced to judgment, it shall have the same effect as judgments, except as modified by this chapter.
Property liens All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 17-3-45(E) Lien against real or personal property
(E) The appointment of counsel creates a claim against the assets and estate of the person who is provided counsel or the parents or legal guardians of a juvenile in
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an amount equal to the costs of representation as determined by a voucher submitted by the appointed counsel and approved by the court, less that amount that the person pays either to the appointed counsel or defender corporation of the county or counties where he is represented or to the Office of Indigent Defense. The claim shall be filed in the office of the clerk of court in the county where the person is assigned counsel, but the filing of a claim shall not constitute a lien against real or personal property of the person unless, in the discretion of the court, part or all of such claim is reduced to judgment by appropriate order of the court, after serving the person with at least thirty days' notice that judgment will be entered. When a claim is reduced to judgment, it shall have the same effect as judgments, except as modified by this chapter.
Property liens 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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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 24-21-480 Payment as condition of suspended sentence Failure to comply with program requirements may result in a request to the court to revoke the suspended sentence. Condition or extension of supervision All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 16-11-700(C)(3) Public service in lieu of payment
(3) The court, instead of payment of the monetary fine imposed for a violation of this section, may direct the substitution of additional litter-gathering labor or other form of public
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service, under the supervision of the court, as it may order because of physical or other incapacities not to exceed one hour for each five dollars of fine imposed.
Community service Misdemeanor No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 16-11-760(B) Lien against vehicle
(B) A vehicle found parked on private property may be towed and stored at the expense of the registered owner or lienholder, and charges for towing, storing, preserving the vehicle,
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and expenses incurred if the owner and lienholder are notified pursuant to Section 29-15-10 constitute a lien against the vehicle, provided that the towing company makes notification to the law enforcement agency pursuant to Section 56-5-2525.
Property liens Misdemeanor Yes
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 16-19-100 Incarceration
Upon conviction of any person under any of the provisions of Sections 16-19-40, 16-19-50 or 16-19-90, the court before whom such conviction shall take place shall commit such offender to
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the common jail of the county in which such conviction shall happen for a period not exceeding the time for which such offender has been sentenced, unless such offender shall sooner pay the fine or fines herein imposed, together with the cost of prosecution.
Incarceration All Yes
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann § 16-13-320 Incarceration
Whoever shall (a) inveigle or entice by any arts or devices any person to play at cards, dice or any other game or bear a share or part in the
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stakes, wagers or adventures or bet on the sides or hands of such as do or shall play as aforesaid, (b) sell, barter or expose to sale any kind of property which has been before sold, bartered or exchanged by the person so selling, bartering or exchanging or by anyone for the benefit or advantage of the person so selling, bartering or exchanging in any house or other place within this State or be a party thereto or (c) overreach, cheat or defraud by any other cunning, swindling arts and devices, so that the ignorant and unwary, who are deluded thereby, lose their money or other property, shall, on conviction thereof in any court of competent jurisdiction, be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined at the discretion of the court and, besides, shall refund to the party aggrieved double the sum he was so defrauded of. And if the same be not immediately paid, with costs, every such person shall be committed to the common jail or house of correction, if there be any, of the county in which such person shall be convicted, there to continue for any time not exceeding six months, unless such fine, with costs, be sooner paid and discharged.
Incarceration Misdemeanor Yes
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 16-3-1260(3) Payment as condition of probation
(3) The Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services shall also have the right to make payment of the debt or a portion of the debt to the State a
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condition of parole or community supervision.
Condition or extension of supervision All No
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West Virginia W. Va. Code § 62-11A-1a(a)(3) Other sentencing alternatives.

Any person who has been convicted in a circuit court or in a magistrate court under any criminal provision of this code of a misdemeanor or felony, which is punishable

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by imposition of a fine or confinement in a regional jail or a state correctional institution, or both fine and confinement, may, in the discretion of the sentencing judge or magistrate, as an alternative to the sentence imposed by statute for the crime, be sentenced under one of the following programs: (3) The community service program under which a sentenced person would spend no time in jail, but would be sentenced to a number of hours or days of community service work with government entities or charitable or nonprofit entities approved by the circuit court. Regarding any portion of the sentence designated as confinement, eight hours of community service work is to be credited as one day of the sentence imposed. Regarding any portion of the sentence designated as a fine, the fine is to be credited at an hourly rate equal to the prevailing federal minimum wage at the time the sentence was imposed. In the discretion of the court, the sentence credits may run concurrently or consecutively. A person sentenced under this program may be required to provide his or her own transportation to and from the work site, lunch and work clothes.

Community service All No
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West Virginia W. Va. Code § 50-3-2a(b)-(c)(1), (f)(1) Payment by credit card or payment plan; suspension of licenses for failure to make payments or appear or respond; restitution; liens

(b) Unless otherwise required by law, a magistrate court may collect a portion of any costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties at the time the amount is imposed by the

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court so long as the court requires the balance to be paid in accordance with a payment plan which specifies: (1) The number of payments to be made; (2) the dates on which the payments are due; and (3) the amounts due for each payment. The written agreement represents the minimum payments and the last date those payments may be made. The obligor or the obligor's agent may accelerate the payment schedule at any time by paying any additional portion of any costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties.

(c) (1) If any costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties imposed by the magistrate court in a criminal case are not paid within one hundred eighty days from the date of judgment and the expiration of any stay of execution, the magistrate court clerk or, upon judgment rendered on appeal, the circuit clerk shall notify the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles of the failure to pay: Provided, That in a criminal case in which a nonresident of this state is convicted of a motor vehicle violation defined in section three-a [§ 17B-3-3a], article three, chapter seventeen-b of this code, the appropriate clerk shall notify the Division of Motor Vehicles of the failure to pay within eighty days from the date of judgment and expiration of any stay of execution. Upon notice, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall suspend any privilege the person defaulting on payment may have to operate a motor vehicle in this state, including any driver's license issued to the person by the Division of Motor Vehicles, until all costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties are paid in full. The suspension shall be imposed in accordance with the provisions of section six [§ 17B-3-6], article three, chapter seventeen-b of this code: Provided, That any person who has had his or her license to operate a motor vehicle in this state suspended pursuant to this subsection and his or her failure to pay is based upon inability to pay, may, if he or she is employed on a full- or part-time basis, petition to the circuit court for an order authorizing him or her to operate a motor vehicle solely for employment purposes. Upon a showing satisfactory to the court of inability to pay, employment and compliance with other applicable motor vehicle laws, the court shall issue an order granting relief.

(f) (1) If all costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties imposed by a magistrate court and ordered to be paid are not paid within one hundred eighty days from the date of judgment and the expiration of any stay of execution, the clerk of the magistrate court shall notify the prosecuting attorney of the county of nonpayment and provide the prosecuting attorney with an abstract of judgment. The prosecuting attorney shall file the abstract of judgment in the office of the clerk of the county commission in the county where the defendant was convicted and in any county wherein the defendant resides or owns property. The clerks of the county commissions shall record and index the abstracts of judgment without charge or fee to the prosecuting attorney and when so recorded, the amount stated to be owing in the abstract shall constitute a lien against all property of the defendant.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment, Payment plan/installment plan, Property liens All No