Data Explorer: Enforcement Mechanisms | 50 State Criminal Justice Debt Tool

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.

13 Results

Export results to Excel

	State	Statute	Description/Statute Name	Statutory language	Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap	Level of offense	Mandatory
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Arizona	Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-805(E)	Restitution and Fines: Jurisdiction	A criminal restitution order may be recorded and is enforceable as any civil judgment, except that a criminal restitution order does not require renewal pursuant to section 12-1611 or 12-1612. + See more Enforcement of a criminal restitution order by any person or by the state on behalf of any person who is entitled to restitution includes the collection of interest that accrues at a rate of ten percent a year. Enforcement of a criminal restituion order by the state includes the collection of interest that accrues at a rate of four percent a year. A criminal restitution order does not expire until paid in full. A filing fee, A recording fee or any other charge is not required for recording a criminal restitution order.	Collection fee/interest	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Delaware	10 Del. C. § 8603(e)	Nonpayment of Costs	A default in the payment of defense costs or any installment thereof may be collected by any means authorized by law for the enforcement of a judgment. The levy of + See more execution for the collection of such payment shall not discharge a defendant committed for imprisonment for contempt until the full amount of the fine has actually been collected. The court shall have the power to pursue civil enforcement to obtain the money due on behalf of the State, and to also pursue criminal remedies when civil means are not effective.	Civil judgment	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Delaware	11 Del. C. § 4104(b)	Fines, Costs or Restitution; How Collected; Holding Operator's License as Security for Payment	Any court, including a justice of the peace, may, in its discretion, permit any person sentenced to pay a fine upon conviction of crime, in lieu of the payment of + See more the fine ordered, to execute a bond acknowledging the amount of the fine imposed upon the person as a debt due and owing to this State and binding the person unto this State in an amount equal to 10 times the fine imposed. The bond shall be so conditioned that, should the amount of the fine imposed be paid to this State on or before the tenth day next following the day on which the fine is imposed, then in that event the bond shall be null and void.	Collection fee/interest	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Missouri	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 488.020(3)-(4)	Collection of court costs, when, how	The supreme court may provide by rule for imposition of interest on any court costs not paid within thirty days of when due. If any court cost is not paid + See more when due, the following actions may be taken: (3) Upon notification to the party from whom the court cost is due, and upon failure to pay the fee after such notice, the court may inform the office of administration of any delinquencies in excess of twenty-five dollars. Upon receiving such notice, and without further notice by the office of administration to the defaulting party, the office of administration shall deduct the amount of unpaid court costs from any payment by the state to the defaulting party under any provision of law. The office of administration shall transmit the amount set off to the court, and shall send the excess amount to the payee, with a notice that the remainder of the refund was transmitted to the court in satisfaction of all or part of the unpaid court costs. The office of administration and its officials and employees shall not be liable to any person for any action taken in accordance with the requirements of this subdivision. Any proceeding contesting any action taken by a court or the office of administration pursuant to this subdivision shall be brought in the court which certified such unpaid fees to the office of administration, and shall be deemed ancillary to the proceeding for which such unpaid fees were assessed. No appearance, responsive pleading or discovery shall be due from the office of administration in such proceeding except upon order of the court; (4) Upon notification to the party from whom the fee is due, a failure to pay the fee after such notice, and a showing of the party's ability to pay the fee, the court may hold the party in contempt.	Collection fee/interest, Incarceration, Increased fine, Other, Wage/bank account garnishment	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Missouri	Mo. Ann. Stat. § 488.503	Contracting for collection of delinquent court-ordered payments authorized--fees added to amount due	To collect on past-due court-ordered penalties, fines, restitution, sanctions, court costs, including restitution and juvenile monetary assessments, or judgments to the State of Missouri or one of its political subdivisions, + See more any division of the circuit court may contract with public agencies or with private entities operating under a contract with a state agency or the office of state courts administrator. Any fees or costs associated with such collection efforts shall be added to the amount due, but such fees and costs shall not exceed twenty percent of the amount collected.	Collection fee/interest	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Missouri	Mo. Ann. Stat. § 546.902	Ordinances, rules and regulations, enactment by municipalities in certain first class counties--penalty for violation, not to conflict with statute--place of imprisonment	Any municipality located within any county of the first classification with a population in excess of nine hundred thousand, for any purpose or purposes mentioned in this chapter, may enact + See more and make all necessary ordinances, rules and regulations; and they may enact and make all such ordinances and rules, not inconsistent with the laws of the state, as may be expedient for maintaining the peace and good government and welfare of the city and its trade and commerce; and all ordinances may be enforced by prescribing and inflicting upon its inhabitants, or other persons violating the same, such fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, and such imprisonment not exceeding three months, or both such fine and imprisonment, as may be just for any offense, recoverable with costs of suit, together with judgment of imprisonment, until the fine and costs are paid or satisfied; and any person committed for the nonpayment of fine and costs, or either, may be compelled to work out the same as herein provided; but, in any case wherein the penalty for an offense is fixed by any statute, the council shall affix the same penalty by ordinance for the punishment of such offense, except that imprisonments, when made under city ordinances, may be in the city prison or workhouse instead of the county jail.	Civil judgment	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Collection fee/interest	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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, + See more 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.	Collection fee/interest, Condition or extension of supervision	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Collection fee/interest	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Wyoming	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 5-6-111	Execution on judgments	Upon assessment of any fine and costs for the conviction of a violation of any ordinance of a city or town, judgment shall be entered against the defendant in favor + See more of the city or town. If the judgment is not paid within ninety (90) days from the date of the judgment the city or town may collect judgment by execution in circuit court in the manner provided by law. Except as otherwise provided by law all amounts recovered pursuant to this section shall be deposited with the city or town treasurer, used for the benefit of the city or town, and credited against the fine and reasonable costs of collection.	Civil judgment	Misdemeanor	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Wyoming	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-6-207	Assessment of tax when permanent injunction issues; collection; continuing liability for other penalties	Whenever a permanent injunction issues against any person for maintaining a nuisance or against the owner or agent of any building kept or used for the purposes prohibited by this + See more article, there shall be assessed against the building and the ground upon which it is located and against the person or persons maintaining the nuisance, and the owner or agent of the premises, a tax of three hundred dollars ($300.00). The assessment of the tax shall be made by the assessor of the county in which the nuisance exists and shall be made within three (3) months from the date of granting of the permanent injunction. If the assessor fails or neglects to make the assessment, it shall be made by the sheriff of the county and a return of the assessment shall be made to the county treasurer. The tax may be enforced and collected in the manner prescribed for the collection of taxes under the general revenue laws and shall be a perpetual lien upon all property, both personal and real used for the purpose of maintaining the nuisance. The payment of the tax does not relieve the person or building from any other penalties provided by law and when collected shall be applied and distributed in the manner prescribed by law for the application and distribution of monies arising from the collection of fines and penalties in criminal cases.	Collection fee/interest, Property liens	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Wyoming	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-6-108	Recovery of payment	(a) Within six (6) years after the date the services were rendered, the attorney general may sue on behalf of the state to recover payment or reimbursement from each person + See more who has received legal assistance or other benefits under this act or, in the case of an unemancipated minor, from his custodial parent or any other person who has a legal obligation of support. (b) Amounts recovered under this act shall be paid into the state general fund.	Civil judgment	All	No

Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps

Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap

Mandatory

Narrrow results

Level of Offense

Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps

State

Keyword search

Reset

Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap

Mandatory

Narrrow results

Level of Offense