Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School
50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
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.
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See all poverty penalty and poverty trap policy recommendations in CJPP’s Policy Guide
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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.
13 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap | Level of offense | Mandatory | |
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Louisiana | LA Rev Stat §1381.2. | Orleans ParishSheriff's detention and prison security fee fund |
A. Any defendant, other than an indigent, who pleads guilty or is convicted of an offense by the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans shall be assessed a + See morefee of not less than twenty-five dollars, such costs to be in addition to any fine, clerk's fees, costs due to the criminal court cost fund or sentence imposed by the court. When any defendant, other than an indigent, fails to pay the costs referred to hereinabove, he shall be sentenced to a term of thirty days in the parish prison in default of the payment of same.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Louisiana | CCRP 884 | Sentence of fine with imprisonment for default |
If a sentence imposed includes a fine or costs, the sentence shall provide that in default of payment thereof the defendant shall be imprisoned for a specified period not to + See moreexceed one year; provided that where the maximum prison sentence which may be imposed as a penalty for a misdemeanor is six months or less, the total period of imprisonment upon conviction of the offense, including imprisonment for default in payment of a fine or costs, shall not exceed six months for that offense.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Louisiana | CCRP 885 | fine and costs |
A defendant who has been imprisoned for default in the payment of a fine, or fine and costs, under a sentence imposed pursuant to Article 884, may, at any time + See morebefore expiration of the term of imprisonment, obtain his release by paying to his custodian all of the costs imposed and a sum of money that bears the same proportion to the imposed fine as the term of alternate imprisonment yet to run bears to the whole of such term of imprisonment.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Louisiana | La. Stat. Ann. § 13:4611 | Contempt |
For any other contempt of court, including disobeying an order for the payment of child support or spousal support or an order for the right of custody or visitation, by + See morea fine of not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisonment for not more than three months, or both.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Louisiana | LA Rev Stat §13:1377.A | Thirty day jail term |
A. Any defendant, other than an indigent, who pleads guilty or is convicted of an offense by the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans shall be assessed + See morecosts of court not to exceed the sum of one hundred dollars, such costs to be in addition to any fine, clerk's fees or sentence imposed by the court. When any defendant, other than an indigent, fails to pay the costs referred to hereinabove, he shall be sentenced to a term of thirty days in the parish prison in default of the payment of same.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Louisiana | LA REV Stat §30:2531.6.H(3) | Failure to pay fine for littering offense | His failure to appear at this second hearing could subject him to another charge of contempt of court along with the punishment of serving time in jail. | Incarceration | Misdemeanor | No |
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Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-20 (2) | Incarceration |
The defendant may be imprisoned until the fine is paid if the defendant is financially able to pay a fine and the court so finds, subject to the limitations hereinafter + See moreset out.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. § 99-37-5(2) | Payment and orders |
(2) When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine or costs or ordered to make restitution is also placed on probation or imposition or execution of sentence is suspended, the + See morecourt may make payment of the fine or costs or the making of restitution a condition of probation or suspension of sentence. Such offenders shall make restitution payments directly to the victim. As an alternative to a contempt proceeding under Sections 99-37-7 through 99-37-13, the intentional refusal to obey the restitution order or a failure by a defendant to make a good faith effort to make such restitution may be considered a violation of the defendant's probation and may be cause for revocation of his probation or suspension of sentence.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. § 99-37-7(2) | Contempt for default |
(2) Unless the defendant shows that his default was not attributable to an intentional refusal to obey the order of the court or to a failure on his part to + See moremake a good faith effort to make the payment, the court may find that his default constitutes contempt and may order him committed until the fine or the restitution, or a specified part thereof, is paid.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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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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Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. §47-7-49 (2) | Miss. Code Ann. §47-7-49 (2) |
The offender may be imprisoned until the payments are made if the offender is financially able to make the payments and the court in the county where the offender resides + See moreso finds
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Incarceration | Misdemeanor | No |
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