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

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 more
fee 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.
Incarceration All Yes
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

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 more
exceed 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.
Incarceration All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

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 more
traffic 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.
Driver's license suspension/impoundment All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

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 more
before 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.
Incarceration All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

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 more
to 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.
Driver's license suspension/impoundment Traffic Yes
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

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 more
a fine of not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisonment for not more than three months, or both.
Incarceration All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

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 more
costs 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.
Incarceration All Yes
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

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