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
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See all poverty penalty and poverty trap policy recommendations in CJPP’s Policy Guide
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- Payment plan/installment plan (2)
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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.
22 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap | Level of offense | Mandatory | |
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Colorado | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 16-11-101.6(6)(a) | Collection of Fines and Fees - Methods - Charges - Judicial Collection Enhancement Fund |
The judicial department may enter into a memorandum of understanding with the state treasurer, acting as the administrator of unclaimed property under the "Unclaimed Property Act", article 13 of title 38, C.R.S., for the purpose of offsetting against a claim for unclaimed property the amount of outstanding fines, fees, costs, or surcharges owed pursuant to law or an order entered by a court of this state by the person claiming unclaimed property. When an offset is to be made, the judicial department or the court to which the fines, fees, costs, or surcharges are owed shall notify the defendant in writing that the state intends to offset the defendant's outstanding fines, fees, costs, or surcharges against his or her claim for unclaimed property.
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Property liens | All | No |
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Colorado | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 16-11-101.8(1) | State Income Tax Refund Offsets - Fines, Fees, Costs, or Surcharges - Definitions |
In any case in which a defendant has an unsatisfied fine, fee, cost, or surcharge obligation imposed pursuant to law or a court order, the judicial department is authorized to transmit data concerning the obligation to the department of revenue for the purpose of conducting a data match and offsetting the obligation against a state income tax refund pursuant to section 39-21-108(3), or lottery winnings pursuant to section 44-40-114.
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Wage/bank account garnishment | All | No |
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Colorado | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-1.3-207(2) | Work and Education Release Programs |
All employment income of a probationer participating in a work release program shall be received and deposited by the probation officer in the registry of the court. |
Work program/jail industry program | All | Yes |
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Colorado | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-1.3-702(3)(b) | Monetary Payments - Due Process Required |
Except in the case of a corporation, if the defendant failed to pay a monetary amount due and the record indicates that the defendant has willfully failed to pay that monetary amount, the court, when appropriate, may consider a motion to impose part or all of a suspended sentence, may consider a motion to revoke probation, or may institute proceedings for contempt of court.
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Condition or extension of supervision | All | No |
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Colorado | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-1.3-702(2)(c) | Monetary Payments - Due Process Required |
If the defendant has the ability to pay the monetary amount as directed by the court or the court's designee but willfully fails to pay, the defendant may be imprisoned for failure to comply with the court's lawful order to pay pursuant to the terms of this section.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Colorado | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-1.3-702(5) | Monetary Payments - Failure to Pay |
(5) If the court finds a defendant in contempt of court for willful failure to pay, the court may direct that the defendant be imprisoned until the monetary payment ordered by the court is made, but the court shall specify a maximum period of imprisonment subject to the following limits: (a) When the monetary amount was imposed for a felony, the period shall not exceed one year; (b) When the monetary amount was imposed for a misdemeanor, the period shall not exceed one-third of the maximum term of imprisonment authorized for the misdemeanor; (c) When the monetary amount was imposed for a petty offense, a traffic violation, or a violation of a municipal ordinance, any of which is punishable by a possible jail sentence, the period shall not exceed fifteen days; (d) There shall be no imprisonment in those cases when no imprisonment is provided for in the possible sentence; and (e) When a sentence of imprisonment and a monetary amount was imposed, the aggregate of the period and the term of the sentence shall not exceed the maximum term of imprisonment authorized for the offense.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-244(3)(a) | Type and time of payment--defenses--ensuring payment |
In addition to other methods of payment, the court may order one or more of the following in order to satisfy the offender's restitution obligation: (a) forfeiture and sale of + See morethe offender's assets under the provisions of Title 25, chapter 13, part 7, unless the court finds, after notice and an opportunity for the offender to be heard, that the assets are reasonably necessary for the offender to sustain a living or support the offender's dependents or unless the state determines that the cost of forfeiture and sale would outweigh the amount available to the victim after sale. If the proceeds of sale exceed the amount of restitution ordered and the costs of forfeiture and sale, any remaining amount must be returned to the offender
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Property liens | All | No |
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Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-244(6) | Type and time of payment--defenses--ensuring payment |
For a felony offense: (a) during any period that the offender is incarcerated, the department of corrections shall take a percentage, as set by department rule, of any money in + See moreany account of the defendant administered by the department and use the money to satisfy any existing restitution obligation; (b) at the beginning of any period during which the offender is not incarcerated, the offender shall sign a statement allowing any employer of the offender to garnish up to 25% of the offender's compensation and give the garnished amounts to the department of corrections to be used by the department to satisfy any existing restitution obligation; and (c) during any period that the defendant is on probation or parole, the probation and parole officer shall set a monthly restitution payment amount by dividing the total amount of unpaid restitution by the number of remaining months of probation or parole. The probation and parole officer may adjust the monthly payment up or down by a maximum of 10%, depending on the offender's circumstances.
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Wage/bank account garnishment | All | Yes |
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Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-244(7) | Type and time of payment--defenses--ensuring payment |
The department of corrections shall give the department of revenue a copy of the order to pay restitution. If full restitution has not been paid, the department of revenue shall, + See morepursuant to an agreement made under 46-18-241, intercept any state tax refunds and any federal tax refunds, as provided by law, due the offender and transfer the money to the department of corrections for a felony offense and to the sentencing court for a misdemeanor offense for disbursement to the victim.
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Wage/bank account garnishment | All | Yes |
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Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-208 | Termination of remaining portion of deferred or suspended sentence--petition |
When imposition of a sentence has been deferred or execution of a sentence has been suspended, the prosecutor or defendant may file a petition to terminate the time remaining on + See morethe sentence
The court may grant the petition if it finds that...the defendant has paid all restitution and court-ordered financial obligations in full.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-233 | Fine or costs as condition on suspended or deferred sentence |
(1) Whenever a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine or costs under 46-18-231 or 46-18-232 and the imposition or execution of the rest of the defendant's sentence is deferred + See moreor suspended, the court may make payment of the fine or costs a condition for probation.
(2) A suspended or deferred sentence may not be revoked if the defendant defaults on the payment of the fine and the default is not attributable to an intentional refusal to obey the order of the court or a failure to make a good faith effort to make the payment.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-237 | Garnishment--report by supervising authority |
(1) If the department of corrections becomes aware that a person while incarcerated under the legal custody of the department of corrections or a person supervised by the department is + See moreentitled to receive money from any source, the person's supervising authority may prepare a report...
(2) The supervising authority shall provide notice and a copy of the report to the office of victims services in the department of justice and the county attorney for the county in which the person was sentenced, either of whom may submit the report along with a petition for garnishment to the court that sentenced the person. The court may order garnishment of the person's money for the payment of restitution, child support, and per diem costs of incarceration owed by the person. Upon receipt of the petition, the court shall provide a copy of the report to the person, who has 15 days following receipt to file an objection. The court may hold a hearing to consider objections raised by the person.
(3) Upon compliance with the provisions of subsections (1) and (2), the court shall determine the amount of restitution, child support, and repayment for per diem costs owed by the person. The court shall order, up to the amount of money available, payment of an amount equal to the restitution owed by the person to the person designated under 46-18-245 to supervise the making of restitution payments, any outstanding child support payments to the department of public health and human services for disbursement to the obligee, and per diem costs owed by the person. All restitution owed by the person must be paid prior to payment of any child support payments. All child support owed by the person must be paid prior to the payment of any per diem costs.
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Wage/bank account garnishment | All | No |
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Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-201(3) | Sentences that may be imposed |
(a) Whenever a person has been found guilty of an offense upon a verdict of guilty or a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, a sentencing judge may impose a + See moresentence that may include: (i) a fine as provided by law for the offense; (ii) payment of costs, as provided in 46-18-232, or payment of costs of assigned counsel as provided in 46-8-113... (b) A court may permit a part or all of a fine to be satisfied by a donation of food to a food bank program.
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Community service | All | No |
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Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-201(6) | Sentences that may be imposed |
In addition to any of the penalties, restrictions, or conditions imposed pursuant to subsections (1) through (5), the sentencing judge may include the suspension of the license or driving privilege + See moreof the person to be imposed upon the failure to comply with any penalty, restriction, or condition of the sentence. A suspension of the license or driving privilege of the person must be accomplished as provided in 61-5-214 through 61-5-217.
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Driver's license suspension/impoundment | All | No |
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Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-601 | Judgment in writing--lien |
(1) The judgment shall be reduced to writing and signed by the judge.
(2) A judgment that the defendant pay a fine or costs constitutes a lien upon the real estate + See moreof the defendant, which lien dates from the date of the defendant's arrest.
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Property liens | All | Yes |
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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, 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.
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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 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.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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New Mexico | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 31-12-3(B) | Paying fines, fees or costs in installments; community service option |
The court may at any time revise, modify, reduce or enlarge the amount of the installment or the time and conditions fixed for payment of it. |
Payment plan/installment plan | All | No |
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New Mexico | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 31-20-5.1 | Misdemeanor compliance programs; counties may establish; fees |
As a condition of probation, the district or magistrate court may require the defendant to pay a fee of not less than fifteen dollars ($15.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00) per month to the county for a public probation program for the term of the defendant's probation. Money collected by the county pursuant to this subsection shall be used only to operate the misdemeanor compliance program.
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Condition or extension of supervision | All | No |
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New Mexico | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 31-21-10(G)(1) | Parole authority and procedure |
G. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15 NMSA 1978, the board shall require the inmate as a condition of parole: to the adult probation and parole division of the corrections department for deposit to the corrections department intensive supervision fund not exceeding one thousand eight hundred dollars ($1,800) annually to be paid in monthly installments of not less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) and not more than one hundred fifty dollars ($150), as set by the appropriate district supervisor of the adult probation and parole division, based upon the financial circumstances of the defendant. The defendant's payment of the supervised parole costs shall not be waived unless the board holds an evidentiary hearing and finds that the defendant is unable to pay the costs. If the board waives the defendant's payment of the supervised parole costs and the defendant's financial circumstances subsequently change so that the defendant is able to pay the costs, the appropriate district supervisor of the adult probation and parole division shall advise the board and the board shall hold an evidentiary hearing to determine whether the waiver should be rescinded; and
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Condition or extension of supervision | All | No |
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