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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- Civil judgment (5)
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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.
83 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap | Level of offense | Mandatory | |
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Missouri | Mo. Ann. Stat. § 546.86 | All property bound for fine and costs |
The property, real and personal, of any person charged with a criminal offense, shall be bound from the time of his final conviction of such offense, for the payment of all fines and costs which he may be adjudged to pay.
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Property liens | All | No |
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Missouri | Mo. Ann. Stat. § 559.100(3) | Circuit courts, power to place on probation or parole--revocation--conditions--restitution |
In addition to all other costs and fees allowed by law, each prosecuting attorney or circuit attorney who takes any action to collect restitution shall collect from the person paying restitution an administrative handling cost. The cost shall be twenty-five dollars for restitution of less than one hundred dollars and fifty dollars for restitution of at least one hundred dollars but less than two hundred fifty dollars. For restitution of two hundred fifty dollars or more an additional fee of ten percent of the total restitution shall be assessed, with a maximum fee for administrative handling costs not to exceed seventy-five dollars total.
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Collection fee/interest | All | No |
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Missouri | Mo. Ann. Stat. § 559.105 | Restitution may be ordered for tampering and stealing offenses--limitation on release from probation--payment |
1. Any person who has been found guilty of or has pled guilty to an offense may be ordered by the court to make restitution to the victim for the victim's losses due to such offense. Restitution pursuant to this section shall include, but not be limited to a victim's reasonable expenses to participate in the prosecution of the crime.
2. No person ordered by the court to pay restitution pursuant to this section shall be released from probation until such restitution is complete. If full restitution is not made within the original term of probation, the court shall order the maximum term of probation allowed for such offense. 3. Any person eligible to be released on parole shall be required, as a condition of parole, to make restitution pursuant to this section. The board of probation and parole shall not release any person from any term of parole for such offense until the person has completed such restitution, or until the maximum term of parole for such offense has been served. 4. The court may set an amount of restitution to be paid by the defendant. Said amount may be taken from the inmate's account at the department of corrections while the defendant is incarcerated. Upon conditional release or parole, if any amount of such court-ordered restitution is unpaid, the payment of the unpaid balance may be collected as a condition of conditional release or parole by the prosecuting attorney or circuit attorney under section 559.100. The prosecuting attorney or circuit attorney may refer any failure to make such restitution as a condition of conditional release or parole to the parole board for enforcement. |
Condition or extension of supervision | All | No |
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Missouri | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 600.089 | Parolees to pay for representation, when |
If the public defender commission has obtained a judgment against an offender in the custody of the department of corrections, and the offender is later paroled and becomes financially able to pay all or some part of such judgment, he shall be required, as a condition of his continued parole, to pay over to the public defender commission such amounts as he can reasonably pay, either by a single payment or by installments of reasonable amounts, in accordance with the schedule of charges for public defender services prepared pursuant to section 600.090.
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Condition or extension of supervision | All | No |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 604-A:9(I) | Repayment |
The state may collect from the defendant a service charge of up to 10 percent of the total amount of fees and expenses owed by such defendant. |
Collection fee/interest | All | No |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 263:56-a | Suspension or Revocation for Default, Noncompliance, or Nonpayment of Fine |
Whenever any defendant: . . . (b) Fails to pay a fine or other penalty imposed in connection with a conviction of any offense which a court has determined he is able to pay, or issues a bad check in payment of a fine or other penalty; or (c) Fails to comply with a similar order of the director or a court on any matter within the director's or court's jurisdiction, his driver's license or resident or nonresident driving privilege and in any motor vehicle case or related case the resident plates and motor vehicle registration shall be suspended or revoked only upon written consent of the director, effective 30 days after such default or failure, except as provided in subparagraph I(d) of this section.
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Driver's license suspension/impoundment | Traffic | No |
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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 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.
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Payment plan/installment plan | All | Yes |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 504-A:13(I) | Supervision and Service Charges |
The court shall establish a supervision fee for probationers, and the parole board shall establish a supervision fee for parolees. The fee shall not be less than $40 a month, unless waived in whole or in part by the court, board or commissioner, and may be any greater amount as established by the court or board. This fee shall be considered a condition of release, and failure to satisfy this obligation shall be grounds for a violation hearing, unless the probationer or parolee has been found to be indigent and, for that reason, unable to pay the fee. Service charges for collection of fines and fees, other than supervision fees, shall be established at 10 percent of the funds collected.
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Collection fee/interest, Condition or extension of supervision | All | Yes |
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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 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.
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Collection fee/interest | All | No |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 618:7 | Execution |
A writ of execution may be issued for any fine in a criminal case, notwithstanding the respondent may be committed or detained in a county correctional facility for nonpayment thereof, and if the fine is collected upon the execution, the convict shall not be further detained on account thereof.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 618:6 | Place of Committal |
Any person sentenced to pay a fine shall be ordered to be imprisoned until sentence is performed, or he or she is otherwise legally discharged, in the county correctional facility in which the crime was committed. This section shall not be construed as authorizing the confinement of any juvenile under the age of 17 years in a county correctional facility for the nonpayment of a fine.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 651:22 | Jurisdiction Over and Disposition of Wages and Income |
In any criminal case, in addition to such other terms and conditions as may be imposed by the court, a defendant who has received a suspended sentence or who has been released under RSA 651:19 may be required by the court to surrender to the department of corrections or other agency designated by the court all or part of his wages or other income, less standard payroll deduction required by law, earned during the time he is not confined under the sentence. The court may direct that, after deducting therefrom the cost of his maintenance while not confined, the balance be applied as needed for restitution payments made to authorized claimants pursuant to RSA 651:62 through 66 and for the support and maintenance of his dependents. Any balance after such applications shall be deposited in a savings account to be released to him or applied as needed for restitution payments or the support of his dependents as the court may order, or applied to the designated cost of room and board at the institution for the period of time during which the inmate is working before the expiration of his sentence. Upon expiration of his sentence the balance remaining shall be paid to him or his order.
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Wage/bank account garnishment | All | No |
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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 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 |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 651:67(I) | Failure to Make Restitution |
Any offender who is sentenced to make restitution under RSA 651:63, and who purposely violates the court's order by either failing to make restitution or by defaulting in the payment or performance of the restitution authorized, may be prosecuted for contempt.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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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 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.
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Payment plan/installment plan | All | No |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 604-A:9(III) | Adequate Representation for Indigent Defendants in Criminal Cases: Repayment |
If any repayment ordered pursuant to paragraph I becomes overdue, the court having originally appointed counsel may order any employer of a former defendant to deduct from that person's wages or salary the appropriate amount due and to pay such amount to the appropriate department as determined under paragraph I, which shall refund such amount to the state, provided that no money, rights, or credits listed in RSA 512:21 shall be subject to deduction.
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Wage/bank account garnishment | All | No |
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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 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.
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Increased fine, Payment plan/installment plan | All | No |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 618:9 | Committal for Nonpayment; Term |
Whenever a person is committed to a county correctional facility in default of payment of a fine imposed by a justice of a superior court or a district court, he or she shall be discharged from custody by the superintendent thereof at the expiration of a number of days after the date of his or her commitment equal to one day for each $150 of the fine so imposed. The superintendent shall keep a record of all discharges made under the provisions of this section.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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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 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.
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Community service, Payment plan/installment plan | All | No |
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New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 618:8 | At End of Term, or on Payment of Balance |
Any person sentenced conditionally to pay a fine or to be imprisoned for a term shall be discharged at the expiration of the term, and may be discharged at any time on payment of the balance of the fine, after deducting $150 for each day such person has been imprisoned under the sentence.
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Incarceration | All | No |
The Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder is a project of the National Criminal Justice Debt Initiative of the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School in collaboration with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and with user experience design by metaLAB (at) Harvard.
For more information, please visit cjpp.law.harvard.edu.