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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New Mexico N.M. Stat. Ann. § 31-12-3(A),(C) Paying fines, fees or costs in installments; community service option

A. Any person sentenced to pay a fine or to pay fees and costs in any criminal proceeding against him, either in addition to or without a term of imprisonment,

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may in the discretion of the court be allowed to pay such fine, fees or costs in installments of such amounts, at such times and upon such conditions as the court may fix. The defendant may also be required to serve a period of time in labor to be known as “community service” in lieu of all or part of the fine. If unable to pay the fees or costs, he may be granted permission to perform community service in lieu of them as well. The labor shall be meaningful, shall not be suspended or deferred and shall be of a type that benefits the public at large or any public, charitable or educational entity or institution and is consistent with Article 9, Section 14 of the constitution of New Mexico. Any person performing community service pursuant to court order shall be immune from civil liability arising out of the community service other than for gross negligence, shall not be entitled to wages or considered an employee for any purpose and shall not be entitled to workers’ compensation, unemployment or any other benefits otherwise provided by law. Instead, a person who performs community service shall receive credit toward the fine, fees or costs at the rate of the prevailing federal hourly minimum wage. Unless otherwise provided, however, the total fine, fees and costs shall be payable forthwith.

C. When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine in installments or ordered to pay fees or costs defaults in payment, the court, upon motion of the prosecutor or upon its own motion, may require the defendant to show cause why his default should not be treated as contumacious and may issue a summons or a warrant of arrest for his appearance. It shall be a defense that the defendant did not willfully refuse to obey the order of the court or that he made a good faith effort to obtain the funds required for the payment. If the defendant’s default was contumacious, the court may order him committed until the fine or a specified part of it or the fees or costs are paid. The maximum term of imprisonment for such contumacious nonpayment shall be specified in the order of commitment.

 

Community service, Incarceration, Payment plan/installment plan All No
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New Mexico N.M. Stat. Ann. § 67-7-11 Obstructions and Injuries to Highways: Arrest for violation; seizure of vehicle; fee

Sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, constables, marshals, police officers and all peace officers shall have power to arrest any person violating any provision of this act on view or upon warrant issued

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by any justice of the peace [magistrate court] or magistrate. Such officers are also authorized and directed to take into custody any vehicle involved in the violation of any provision of this act and hold the same until all fees, fines, costs and damages therefor shall be paid; provided that the owner or person in control of such vehicle may secure its release by furnishing a good and sufficient bond as required by the officer or magistrate before whom the case is prosecuted. The fee for making the arrest of any person violating any provision of this act shall upon conviction of the person or persons arrested be assessed as part of the costs and paid to the officer making such arrest, but shall not exceed one ($1.00) dollar in any case.

Incarceration All No
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New Mexico N.M. Stat. Ann. § 33-2-40 Imprisonment for nonpayment of fine or costs attached to prison sentence; maximum

All convicts sentenced to the state penitentiary who have a fine or costs or both attached to such sentence shall not be required to serve more than thirty days for

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such fine or costs.

Incarceration All No
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New Mexico N.M. Stat. Ann. § 33-3-11 Jail for nonpayment of fine

A. Whenever any person is committed to jail for nonpayment of any fine or costs or both, he shall be credited with eight times the federal hourly minimum wage a

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day in reduction thereof for each day or portion of a day of incarceration. When the person has remained incarcerated a sufficient length of time to extinguish the fine or cost or both, computed at this rate, or has paid to the sentencing court the amount of the fine or costs or both, remaining after deducting credit allowed by this section and obtaining from the court an order of release from commitment, the officer having the prisoner in custody shall discharge him from custody under commitment.
B. If the person in custody makes an affidavit that he has no property out of which he can pay the fine and costs, either or any part, the prisoner shall not be retained in custody longer than sixty days even though the fine and costs or either exceeds the amount credited toward repayment during those sixty days. The affidavit shall be delivered to the sheriff or jail administrator as defined in Section 4-44-19 NMSA 1978 having custody of the prisoner.

Incarceration All No
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Texas Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.751(b),(e) Violation of Conditions of Community Supervision; Detention and Hearing

(b) At any time during the period of community supervision, the judge may issue a warrant for a violation of any condition of community supervision and cause the defendant to be

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arrested. Any supervision officer, police officer, or other officer with the power of arrest may arrest the defendant with or without a warrant on the order of the judge to be noted on the docket of the court. Subject to Subsection (c), a defendant arrested under this subsection may be detained in the county jail or other appropriate place of confinement until the defendant can be taken before the judge for a determination regarding the alleged violation.

(e) A judge may revoke without a hearing the community supervision of a defendant who is imprisoned in a penal institution if the defendant in writing before a court of record or a notary public in the jurisdiction where the defendant is imprisoned

Incarceration All No
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Texas Tex. Gov't Code Sec. 501.014(a),(e)(2),(4)-(6) Inmate Money

(a) The department shall take possession of all money that an inmate has on the inmate’s person or that is received with the inmate when the inmate arrives at a facility

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to be admitted to the custody of the department and all money the inmate receives at the department during confinement and shall credit the money to an account created for the inmate . . .

(e) On notification by a court, the department shall withdraw from an inmate’s account any amount the inmate is ordered to pay by order of the court under this subsection. On receipt of a valid court order requiring an inmate to pay child support, the department shall withdraw the appropriate amount from the inmate’s account under this subsection, regardless of whether the court order is provided by the court or another person. The department shall make a payment under this subsection as ordered by the court to either the court or the party specified in the court order. The department is not liable for withdrawing or failing to withdraw money or making payments or failing to make payments under this subsection. The department shall make withdrawals and payments from an inmate’s account under this subsection according to the following schedule of priorities: . . . (2) as payment in full for all orders for restitution . . . (4) as payment in full for all orders for court fees and costs; (5) as payment in full for all orders for fines; and (6) as payment in full for any other court order, judgment, or writ.

Wage/bank account garnishment All Yes
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Texas Tex. Gov't Code Sec. 21.002(a)-(c) Contempt of Court

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (g), a court may punish for contempt.

(b) The punishment for contempt of a court other than a justice court or municipal court is a fine of

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not more than $500 or confinement in the county jail for not more than six months, or both such a fine and confinement in jail.

(c) The punishment for contempt of a justice court or municipal court is a fine of not more than $100 or confinement in the county or city jail for not more than three days, or both such a fine and confinement in jail.

Incarceration, Increased fine All No
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Texas Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 43.03(a) Payment of Fine

If a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine or costs or both and the defendant defaults in payment, the court after a hearing under Subsection (d) of this article

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may order the defendant confined in jail until discharged as provided by law, may order the defendant to discharge the fines and costs in any other manner provided by Article 43.09 of this code, or may waive payment of the fines and costs as provided by Article 43.091. A certified copy of the judgment, sentence, and order is sufficient to authorize confinement under this subsection

Incarceration All No