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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.
11 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 885.1 | Suspension of driving privileges |
A. When a fine is levied against a person convicted of any criminal offense, including any violation of the Louisiana Highway Regulatory Act or any municipal or parish ordinance regulating + See moretraffic in any municipality or in any parish and the defendant is granted an extension of time to pay the fine, the judge of the court having jurisdiction may order the driver's license to be surrendered to the sheriff or official of the court collecting fines for a period of time not to exceed one hundred eighty days. If, after expiration of one hundred eighty days, the defendant has not paid the fine, the sheriff or official of the court designated to collect fines shall forward the license to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections....
C. If, after expiration of one hundred eighty days, the defendant has not paid the fine, the sheriff or official of the court designated to collect fines shall forward the license to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Upon receipt of the defendant's surrendered driver's license, the department shall suspend the driver's license of the defendant. The suspension shall begin when the department receives written notification from the court, and the department shall send immediate written notification to the defendant informing him of the suspension of driving privileges.
D. The department shall not reinstate, return, reissue, or renew a driver's license in its possession pursuant to this Section until payment of the fine and any additional administrative cost, fee, or penalty required by the judge having the jurisdiction and any other cost, fee, or penalty required by the department in accordance with R.S. 32:414(H) or other applicable cost, fee, or penalty provision.
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Driver's license suspension/impoundment | 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 Rev Stat § 32:57.1(B) | Failure to appear for traffic citation |
Whenever an arrested person who was released on his written promise to appear before a magistrate at the place and time specified in a summons described in R.S. 32:391(B) fails + See moreto honor his written promise to appear, the magistrate or judge of the court exercising jurisdiction shall immediately forward to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections notice of the failure to appear, with information necessary for identification of the arrested person. Thereupon, unless the original charges have been disposed of, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall immediately notify the arrested person of suspension of his operator's license and the imposition of a fifty-dollar fee, regardless of the disposition of the original charge. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections likewise shall inform the arrested person that his operator's license cannot be renewed or reissued until the forwarding court exercising jurisdiction certifies that he had honored the appearance promise or paid an appropriate fine for the offense as determined by the forwarding court exercising jurisdiction.
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Driver's license suspension/impoundment | Traffic | Yes |
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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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Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. § 973.07 | Failure to pay fine, fees, surcharges, or costsor to comply with certain community service work. |
If the fine, plus costs, fees, and surcharges imposed under ch. 814, are not paid or community service work under s. 943.017 (3) is not completed as required by the + See moresentence, the defendant may be committed to the county jail until the fine, costs, fees, and surcharges are paid or discharged, or the community service work under s.943.017 (3) is completed, for a period fixed by the court not to
exceed 6 months.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. § 800.095(1)(a) | Nonpayment of monetary judgment |
(a) Suspension of the defendants operating privilege until the defendant pays the judgment, but not to exceed one year. If the court orders suspension under this paragraph, all of the + See morefollowing apply:
1. The court shall notify the department of transportation of the suspension for failure to pay the judgment. If the defendant pays the judgment, the court shall notify the department of transportation of the payment within 7 days in the form and manner prescribed by the department.
2. The court may order the suspension concurrent or consecutive to any other suspensions or revocations. If the court fails to specify whether the suspension is consecutive or concurrent, the department of transportation shall implement the suspension concurrent
with any other suspensions or revocations.
3. If the judgment remains unpaid at the end of the one?year suspension, the court may not order a further suspension of operating privileges in relation to the outstanding judgment.
3m. If the court terminates the defendants suspension as the result of the defendants agreement to a payment plan or community service and the defendant is later suspended because he or she defaults on that plan or service, the new suspension shall be
reduced by the amount of time that the suspension was served before being terminated by the court.
4. Serving the complete one?year suspension of the defendants operating privilege does not relieve the defendant of the responsibility to pay the judgment.
5. During the period of operating privilege suspension under this paragraph, the defendant may request the court to reconsider the order of suspension based on an inability to pay the judgment because of poverty, as that term is used in s. 814.29 (1) (d). The court shall consider the defendants request. If the court determines that the inability to pay the judgment is because of poverty, the court shall withdraw the suspension and grant the defendant further time to pay or withdraw the suspension and order one or
more other sanctions set forth in this subsection, including community service.
6. This paragraph does not apply if the judgment was entered solely for a violation of an ordinance unrelated to the violators operation of a motor vehicle unless the judgment is ordered under ch. 938. Nonmoving traffic offenses, as defined in s. 345.28 (1)(c), are related to the violators operation of a motor vehicle.
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Driver's license suspension/impoundment | All | No |
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Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. § 800.095(1)(b) | Nonpayment of monetary judgment |
(b) 1. That the defendant be imprisoned until the forfeiture, assessments, surcharge, and costs are paid. If the court orders imprisonment under this subdivision, all of the following apply:
a. + See moreThe maximum period of imprisonment shall be 90 days for
any one judgment, and the defendant shall receive credit against
the amount owed at the rate of at least $50 for each day of imprisonment,
including imprisonment following an arrest but prior to
the court making a finding under subd. 2.
b. The court may impose a term of imprisonment under this subdivision that is either concurrent with or consecutive to any other term of imprisonment imposed at the same time or any term of imprisonment imposed by any court.
2. No defendant may be imprisoned under subd. 1. unless the court makes one of the following findings:
a. Either at sentencing or thereafter, that the defendant has the ability to pay the judgment within a reasonable time. If a defendant meets the criteria in s. 814.29 (1) (d), the defendant shall be presumed unable to pay under this subsection and the court shall either suspend or extend payment of the judgment or order community service.
b. The defendant has failed, without good cause, to perform the community service authorized under this subsection or s.800.09.
c. The defendant has failed to attend an indigence hearing offered by the court to provide the defendant with an opportunity to determine whether he or she has the ability to pay the judgment.
d. The defendant has failed, without good cause, to complete an assessment or treatment program related to alcohol or drugs that was ordered in lieu of a monetary forfeiture.
3. a. Except as provided in subd. 3. b., the defendant shall be committed to a jail or a house of correction in the county in which the cause of action arose.
b. The defendant may be committed to the jail in another county within or outside of the state if the other county borders the county in which the cause of action arose, and the monthly expenses charged to the municipality by the other county to imprison the defendant are at least 25 percent less than the monthly expenses charged by the county in which the cause of action arose, and the other county agrees to having the defendant committed to the jail in that county.
c. The defendant shall be eligible for privileges under s.303.08 or a similar program in the other county if committed under subd. 3. b. The municipality shall pay the expenses incurred by the county to imprison the defendant.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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