Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps

Keyword search across all of the laws in the states. Subject-area tabs above allow you to narrow results. Click the advanced search for further refinement.

Every law can be saved to the Reform Builder  

See all poverty penalty and poverty trap policy recommendations in CJPP’s Policy Guide

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.

8 Results

Export results to Excel

State Statute Description/Statute Name Statutory language Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap Level of offense Mandatory
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

New Hampshire N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 631:2-b Domestic Violence

In addition to any other penalty authorized by law, the court shall levy a fine of $50 for each conviction under this section. If the court determines that the defendant

+ See more
is unable to pay the fine on the date imposed, the court may defer payment or order periodic payments thereof. Fines imposed under this section shall not be subject to an additional penalty assessment. The clerk shall forward all fines collected under this paragraph to the department of health and human services for the purposes of RSA 173-B:15.

Payment plan/installment plan All Yes
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

New Hampshire N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 651:64(I),(III) Time and Method of Restitution

I. The time and method of restitution payments or performance of restitution services shall be specified by the department of corrections. Monetary restitution may be by lump sum, or by

+ See more
periodic installments in any amounts.

III. The department may garnish the offender's wages for the purpose of ensuring payment of victim restitution.

Payment plan/installment plan, Wage/bank account garnishment All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

New Hampshire N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 524:6-a(I) Periodic Payment of Judgments

Whenever judgment is rendered against any person in this state, the court in which the judgment is rendered shall either at the time of rendition of the judgment inquire of

+ See more
the defendant as to the defendant's ability to pay the judgment in full or, upon petition of the plaintiff after judgment, order the defendant to appear in court for such inquiry. The court may at either time order the defendant to make such periodic payments as the court in its discretion deems appropriate. If the court orders the defendant to make periodic payments at the time of rendition of judgment, the order shall not provide for payments to begin until after the appeal period has expired. Failure to make such periodic payments shall constitute civil contempt of court unless the judge, upon inquiry, finds that the failure was the result of a change in circumstances, or the failure was not intentional or in bad faith, or for other good cause. The court may order the appropriate agencies to make an investigation and recommendation as to the defendant's ability to pay the judgment. The judgment may be enforced against any property of any kind of the debtor, except such income and property as is now exempt from attachment or execution. Unless the parties otherwise agree, after an order for periodic payments has been issued by the court, no writ of execution shall be issued by the court without prior notice to the defendant. II. Any income from a retirement plan or arrangement qualified for tax exemption purposes, as defined by RSA 511:2, XIX, shall be exempt from periodic payments up to the amount of 50 times the minimum hourly wage as established by the Fair Labor Standards Act, per week. If the defendant shares income and expenses with another person with whom he or she lives, and both people receive income from such a retirement plan or arrangement, any income from such a retirement plan or arrangement and belonging to either person shall be exempt from periodic payments up to the amount of 100 times the minimum hourly wage as established by the Fair Labor Standards Act, in total, per week.

Payment plan/installment plan All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

New Hampshire N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 490:26-a(II-a) Court Fees and Fines; Credit Card Payments

The supreme court may establish by rule an equitable fee of not less than $25 to be added to a fine whenever a court extends the time for the payment

+ See more
of the fine. An equitable fee assessed by a court under this paragraph shall be paid prior to or simultaneously with the payment of the fine.

Increased fine, Payment plan/installment plan All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

New Hampshire NH R CRIM Rule 29(e)(3)(i) Community Service

(3)  In any case where the court finds that the defendant is unable to pay the assessment either on the date the sentence is imposed or later, the court may, if

+ See more
otherwise permitted by law: (i) defer or suspend payment of all or part of the assessment or order periodic payment; or (ii) allow the defendant to perform community service, pursuant to a plan submitted to and approved by the court. 

Community service, Payment plan/installment plan All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

North Carolina N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 15A-1362(b)-(c) Imposition of fines

(b) Installment or Delayed Payments.--When a defendant is ordered to pay a fine, the court may provide for the payment to be made within a specified period of time or

+ See more
in specified installments. If no such provision is made a part of the sentence, the fine is payable forthwith.

(c) Nonpayment.--When a defendant is ordered, other than as a condition of probation, to pay a fine, costs, or both, the court may impose at the same time a sentence to be served in the event that the fine is not paid. The court also may impose an order that the defendant appear, if he fails to make the required payment, at a specified time to show cause why he should not be imprisoned.

Incarceration, Payment plan/installment plan All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

North Carolina N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 15A-1364 Response to nonpayment

(a) Response to Default.--When a defendant who has been required to pay a fine or costs or both defaults in payment or in any installment, the court, upon the motion

+ See more
of the prosecutor or upon its own motion, may require the defendant to appear and show cause why he should not be imprisoned or may rely upon a conditional show cause order entered under G.S. 15A-1362(c). If the defendant fails to appear, an order for his arrest may be issued.

(b) Imprisonment; Criteria.--Following a requirement to show cause under subsection (a), unless the defendant shows inability to comply and that his nonpayment was not attributable to a failure on his part to make a good faith effort to obtain the necessary funds for payment, the court may order the suspended sentence, if any, activated, or, if the law provides no term of imprisonment for the offense for which the defendant was convicted or if no suspended sentence was imposed, the court may order the defendant imprisoned for a term not to exceed 30 days. The court, before activating a sentence of imprisonment, may reduce the sentence. The court may provide in its order that payment or satisfaction at any time of the fine and costs imposed by the court will entitle the defendant to his release from the imprisonment or, after entering the order, may at any time reduce the sentence for good cause shown, including payment or satisfaction of the fine.

(c) Modification of Fine or Costs.--If it appears that the default in the payment of a fine or costs is not attributable to failure on the defendant's part to make a good faith effort to obtain the necessary funds for payment, the court may enter an order: (1) Allowing the defendant additional time for payment; or (2) Reducing the amount of the fine or costs or of each installment; or (3) Revoking the fine or costs or the unpaid portion in whole or in part.

Incarceration, Payment plan/installment plan All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

North Carolina N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 7A-304(f) Costs in criminal actions

The court may allow a defendant owing monetary obligations under this section to either make payment in full when costs are assessed or make payment on an installment plan arranged

+ See more
with the court. Defendants making use of an installment plan shall pay a onetime setup fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) to cover the additional costs to the court of receiving and disbursing installment payments. Fees collected under this subsection shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for support of the General Court of Justice.

Payment plan/installment plan All No