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

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
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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, + See more 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
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Rhode Island	R.I. Gen. Laws. Ann. § 12-19-31	Commitment for nonpayment of fines and costs	Whenever any person shall be committed for nonpayment of fines and costs, the sheriffs of the several counties and their deputies, and the town sergeants and town constables of any + See more town in the several counties, upon due warrant from the court before whom the person has been convicted, may lawfully remove and commit the persons to the adult correctional institutions and they shall be allowed any fees that are now provided by law in similar cases; provided, that in the counties of Newport and Washington, any person before removal from the county of Newport or the county of Washington, in which sentence is entered, may pay the fine and costs into the court or into the office of the clerk of the court in which sentence is imposed and upon payment shall be discharged.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Rhode Island	R.I. Gen. Laws. Ann. § 12-21-9	Commitment for failure to obey judgment or sentence	If any person against whom sentence is passed or judgment rendered, under any penal statute, shall refuse or neglect to perform the sentence or to pay the judgment, he or + See more she shall, by order of the court passing the sentence or by the officer charged with the execution issued on the judgment, be committed to the adult correctional institutions, and be imprisoned there until the sentence is performed or he or she is discharged by due course of law.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	South Dakota	S.D. Codified Laws § 32-23-4.10	Costs payable to county--Nonpayment punishable by contempt.	In addition to any other penalty, assessment, or fine provided by law, the court shall order any person convicted of a crime for a violation of § 32-23-1 to remit + See more costs in the amount of fifty dollars to the clerk of courts. The clerk of courts shall forward any amount collected pursuant to this section to the county treasurer for deposit in the county general fund. Failure to remit the amount to the clerk of courts in the time specified by the court is punishable by contempt proceedings.	Incarceration	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	South Dakota	S.D. Codified Laws § 23A-47-6	Failure to comply with plan of restitution or of financial obligation constitutes violation of conditions — Modification of plan — Contempt	Failure of any individual in this system to comply with the plan of restitution or plan for financial obligations as approved or modified by the court constitutes a violation of + See more the conditions within this system. Without limitation, the court may modify the plan of restitution or financial obligation, extend the period of time for restitution or financial obligation, or continue the individual in the administrative financial accountability system. If the individual fails to make payment as ordered by the court, the individual may be held in contempt of the court’s order.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	South Dakota	S.D. Codified Laws § 216-15-7	Resistance to judicial process as misdemeanorEvery person guilty of any contempt of court by intentional disobedience of any process or order lawfully issued by any court is guilty of a + See more Class 2 misdemeanor.	Every person guilty of any contempt of court by intentional disobedience of any process or order lawfully issued by any court is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	South Dakota	S.D. Codified Laws § 223A-27-25.4	Default in payment of fine or costs and restitution	If a defendant sentenced to pay a fine, costs, or restitution, defaults in the timely payment thereof, the court may, upon its own motion or upon motion of the state's + See more attorney, require the defendant to show cause why he should not be imprisoned or jailed for nonpayment. The court may issue a warrant of arrest, bench warrant, or order to show cause for the defendant's appearance.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	South Dakota	S.D. Codified Laws § 223A-27-25.5	Hearing required prior to imprisonment or jailing for failure to pay fine, costs, and restitution--Burden of proof--Computation of time to be served	No defendant may be imprisoned or jailed for failure to pay a fine, costs, or restitution or have any suspended prison or jail sentence revoked without a prior hearing. At + See more the hearing, the defendant has the burden of proof to establish to the reasonable satisfaction of the magistrate or circuit judge that the defendant did not willfully fail to pay the fine, costs, or restitution or that the defendant did make a bona fide effort to pay the fine, costs, or restitution. Failure by the defendant to make such a showing is grounds for being imprisoned or jailed. If the sentence provided for payment of fine or costs only, the term of jail or imprisonment may be no longer than the number of days equal to the total amount of the fine or costs imposed divided by sixty. For purposes of making this computation, any fraction of less than one day shall be dropped from the term of imprisonment. In no event may such imprisonment for failure to pay the fine, costs, and restitution together with all other time served or to be served exceed the maximum allowed by statute. If the defendant establishes that nonpayment was not willful or that the defendant did make a bona fide effort to pay, the defendant may not be imprisoned or jailed for nonpayment. The magistrate or circuit judge shall consider other alternatives which take into account the state's interest in punishment and deterrence. The court shall make findings in its decision.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	South Dakota	S.D. Codified Laws § 223A-28-8	Failure to comply as violation of conditions of probation--Modification of plan by court--Contempt	Failure of the defendant to comply with § 23A-28-3 or to comply with the plan of restitution as approved or modified by the court constitutes a violation of the conditions + See more of probation. Without limitation, the court may modify the plan of restitution or extend the period of time for restitution, regardless of whether the defendant is no longer on probation. If the defendant fails to make payment as ordered by the court, the defendant may be held in contempt of the court's order.	Condition or extension of supervision, Extension of probation/supervision, Incarceration, Payment plan/installment plan	All	No

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