Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps

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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.

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State Statute Description/Statute Name Statutory language Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap Level of offense Mandatory
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Alabama Ala.Code 1975 § 14-4-10 Hard labor; additional sentence

Whenever any convict is sentenced by the court and required to do hard labor for the county, an additional sentence not to exceed 10 months in any case for the

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payment of costs of conviction may be imposed, and the court must determine a reasonable time required to work out such costs. The costs of conviction of county convicts shall be the same as provided by law now in force in the respective counties.

Incarceration All No
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Alabama Ala.Code 1975 § 15-18-62 Costs and Fines: willful nonpayment by defendant

In cases of willful nonpayment of the fine and costs, the defendant shall either be imprisoned in the county jail or, at the discretion of the court, sentenced to hard

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labor for the county as follows:(1) If the fine and costs do not exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250), no more than 10 days; (2) If the fine and costs exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250) but do not exceed five hundred dollars ($500), no more than 20 days; (3) If the fine and costs exceed five hundred dollars ($500), but do not exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), no more than 30 days; and (4) For every additional one hundred dollars ($100) or fractional part thereof, 4 days.

Incarceration All Yes
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Arizona Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-810(D)(1) Consequences of nonpayment of fines, surcharges, fees, assessments, restitution or incarceration costs

D. If the court finds that the defendant has willfully failed to pay fine, a surcharge, a fee, an assessment, restitution or incarceration costs or finds that the defendant has intentionally refused

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to make a good faith effort to obtain the  monies required for the payment, the court shall find that the default constitutes contempt and may do any of the  following: 1. Order the defendant incarcerated in the county jail until the fine, surcharge, fee, assessment, restitution or incarceration costs, or a specified part of the fine, surcharge,  fee, assessment, restitution or incarceration costs, is paid.

Incarceration All No
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Indiana Ind. Code § 35-38-1-18 (d)(2)-(3) Payment of Fines

(d) Upon any default in the payment of the fine:... (2) the court may direct that the person, if the person is not indigent, be committed to the county jail

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and credited toward payment at the rate of twenty dollars ($20) for each twenty-four (24) hour period the person is confined, until the amount paid plus the amount credited equals the entire amount due; or (3) the court may institute contempt proceedings or order the convicted person’s wages, salary, and other income garnished in accordance with IC 24-4.5-5-105 to enforce the court’s order for payment of the fine.

Incarceration, Wage/bank account garnishment All No
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Indiana Burns Ind. Code Ann. § 33-37-2-3 (a)(4); (d) Indigency Hearing — Suspension of Costs — Default — Fees for Representation — Rights and Protections

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), when the court imposes costs, it shall conduct a hearing to determine whether the convicted person is indigent. If the person is not indigent,

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the court shall order the person to pay: ... (4) the entire amount of the costs at some later date, less any amount credited under subsections (g) through (i) for the performance of: (A) allowable community service work ordered by the court as part of the person’s sentence or as part of the person’s probation; or (B) uncompensated volunteer work approved by the court at a nonprofit or municipal corporation that benefits the community, even if the volunteer work is not ordered by the court. ... (d) Upon any default in the payment of the costs: (1) an attorney representing the county may bring an action on a debt for the unpaid amount; (2) the court may direct that the person, if the person is not indigent, be committed to the county jail and credited toward payment at the rate of twenty dollars ($20) for each twenty-four (24) hour period the person is confined, until the amount paid plus the amount credited equals the entire amount due; or (3) the court may institute contempt proceedings to enforce the court's order for payment of the costs.

Civil judgment, Community service, Incarceration All No
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Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws § 769.1a(11) Payment of restitution as condition of sentence, parole, or probation
If the defendant is placed on probation or paroled or the court imposes a conditional sentence under section 3 of this chapter, any restitution ordered under this section shall be
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a condition of that probation, parole, or sentence. The court may revoke probation or impose imprisonment under the conditional sentence and the parole board may revoke parole if the defendant fails to comply with the order and if the defendant has not made a good faith effort to comply with the order. In determining whether to revoke probation or parole or impose imprisonment, the court or parole board shall consider the defendant's employment status, earning ability, and financial resources, the willfulness of the defendant's failure to pay, and any other special circumstances that may have a bearing on the defendant's ability to pay.
Incarceration All No
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Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws § 780.73 Credit for incarceration on bailable offense
Any person incarcerated on a bailable offense who does not supply bail and against whom a fine is levied on conviction of such offense shall be allowed a credit of
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$5.00 for each day so incarcerated prior to conviction except that in no case shall the amount so allowed or credited exceed the amount of the fine.
Incarceration All Yes
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Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws § 769.3(1) Conditional sentence
(1) If a person is convicted of an offense punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both, the court may impose a conditional sentence and order the person to pay
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a fine, with or without the costs of prosecution, and restitution . . . within a limited time stated in the sentence and, in default of payment, sentence the person as provided by law.
Incarceration All No
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Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws § 769.4 Conditional sentence
The person against whom any such conditional sentence shall be awarded, shall be forthwith committed to the custody of an officer in court or to the county jail, to be
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detained until the sentence be complied with; and if he shall not pay the fine within the time limited, the sheriff shall cause the other part of the sentence to be executed forthwith.
Incarceration All Yes
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Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.908(1)-(6) Default as civil contempt; penalty
If a defendant defaults in the payment of a civil fine, costs, or both, or of any installment, as ordered pursuant to section 907(2), the court, upon the motion of
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the plaintiff or upon its own motion, may require the defendant to show cause why the default should not be treated as in civil contempt and may issue a summons or order to show cause or a bench warrant of arrest for the defendant's appearance. . . . Unless the defendant shows that the default was not attributable to an intentional refusal to obey the order of the court or to a failure on his or her part to make a good faith effort to obtain the funds required for payment, the court shall find that the default constitutes a civil contempt and may order the defendant committed until the civil fine, costs, or both, or a specified part thereof, is paid. . . . The term of imprisonment on civil contempt for nonpayment of a civil fine or costs shall be specified in the order of commitment, and shall not exceed 1 day for each $10.00 of the fine and costs. A person committed for nonpayment of a civil fine or costs shall be given credit toward payment for each day of imprisonment and each day of detention in default of recognizance before judgment at the rate of $10.00 per day. . . .
Incarceration Traffic No
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Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.8729(1)-(6) Payment of fine, default as civil contempt
If a defendant defaults in the payment of a civil fine, costs, assessment, or, if applicable, damages or expenses as provided in section 8733(2) if applicable, or any installment,
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as ordered pursuant to section 8727, the court, upon the motion of the plaintiff or upon its own motion, may require the defendant to show cause why the defendant should not be held in civil contempt and may issue a summons, an order to show cause, or a bench warrant of arrest for the defendant's appearance. . . . Unless the defendant shows that the default was not attributable to an intentional refusal to obey the order of the court or to a failure on his or her part to make a good faith effort to obtain the funds required for payment, the court shall find that the default constitutes a civil contempt and may order the defendant committed until all or a specified part of the amount due is paid. . . . The term of imprisonment on civil contempt for nonpayment of a civil fine, costs, assessment, or damages or expenses shall be specified in the order of commitment and shall not exceed 1 day for each $30.00 due. A person committed for nonpayment of a civil fine, costs, assessment, or damages or expenses shall be given credit toward payment for each day of imprisonment and each day of detention in default of recognizance before judgment at the rate of $30.00 per day.
Incarceration All No
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Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.8829 Civil contempt proceedings upon default in payment of fines, costs, or assessments
If a defendant defaults in the payment of a civil fine, costs, or assessment or of any installment, as ordered pursuant to section 8827,1 the court, upon the motion of
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the plaintiff or upon its own motion, may require the defendant to show cause why the default should not be treated as in civil contempt and may issue a summons, order to show cause, or a bench warrant of arrest for the defendant's appearance. . . . Unless the defendant shows that the default was not attributable to an intentional refusal to obey the order of the court or to a failure on his or her part to make a good faith effort to obtain the funds required for payment, the court shall find that the default constitutes a civil contempt and may order the defendant committed until all or a specified part of the civil fine, costs, or assessment, or any combination of those amounts, is paid. . . . The term of imprisonment on civil contempt for nonpayment of a civil fine, costs, or assessment shall be specified in the order of commitment and shall not exceed 1 day for each $30.00 of the fine and costs. A person committed for nonpayment of a civil fine or costs shall be given credit toward payment for each day of imprisonment and each day of detention in default of recognizance before judgment at the rate of $30.00 per day.
Incarceration All No
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Michigan Mich. Court Rule 3.606 Contempts Outside Immediate Presence of Court
(A) Initiation of Proceeding. For a contempt committed outside the immediate view and presence of the court, on a proper showing on ex parte motion supported by affidavits, the court
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shall either (1) order the accused person to show cause, at a reasonable time specified in the order, why that person should not be punished for the alleged misconduct; or (2) issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the person. . . . (D) Assignment of Bond; Damages. The court may order assignment of the bond to an aggrieved party who is authorized by the court to prosecute the bond under MCR 3.604(H). The measure of the damages to be assessed in an action on the bond is the extent of the loss or injury sustained by the aggrieved party because of the misconduct for which the order for arrest was issued, and that party's costs and expenses in securing the order. The remainder of the penalty of the bond is paid into the treasury of the county in which the bond was taken, to the credit of the general fund.
Incarceration All Yes
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Michigan Mich. Court Rule 3.928(A) Contempt of Court
(A) Power. The court has the authority to hold persons in contempt of court as provided by MCL 600.1701 and 712A.26. A parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a juvenile
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who is within the court's jurisdiction and who fails to attend a hearing as required is subject to the contempt power as provided in MCL 712A.6a.
Incarceration All No
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Michigan Mich. Court Rule 3.944 Probation Violation
(A) Petition; Temporary Custody. (1) Upon receipt of a sworn supplemental petition alleging that the juvenile has violated any condition of probation, the court may: (a) direct that the juvenile
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be notified pursuant to MCR 3.920 to appear for a hearing on the alleged violation, which notice must include a copy of the probation violation petition and a notice of the juvenile's rights as provided in subrule (C)(1); or (b) order that the juvenile be apprehended and brought to the court for a detention hearing, which must be commenced within 24 hours after the juvenile has been taken into court custody, excluding Sundays and holidays as defined in MCR 8.110(D)(2).
Incarceration All No
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Michigan Mich. Court Rule 6.445 Probation Revocation
(A) Issuance of Summons; Warrant. On finding probable cause to believe that a probationer has violated a condition of probation, the court may (1) issue a summons in accordance with
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MCR 6.103(B) and (C) for the probationer to appear for arraignment on the alleged violation, or (2) issue a warrant for the arrest of the probationer.
Incarceration All No
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Michigan Mich. Court Rule 6.933 Juvenile Probation Revocation
(A) General Procedure. When a juvenile, who was placed on juvenile probation and committed to an institution as a state ward, is alleged to have violated juvenile probation, the court
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shall proceed as provided in MCR 6.445(A)-(F).
Incarceration All No