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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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.
37 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap | Level of offense | Mandatory | |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-98-304(b) | Cost and Fees |
(1)The drug court judge shall establish a schedule for the payment of costs and fees. . . (7) Court orders for costs and fees shall remain an obligation of the offender with court monitoring until fully paid.
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Payment plan/installment plan | All | Yes |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-98-304(b) | Cost and Fees |
(b)(1) The drug court judge shall establish a schedule for the payment of costs and fees. . . (7) Court orders for costs and fees shall remain an obligation of the offender with court monitoring until fully paid
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Condition or extension of supervision | All | Yes |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 5-4-204(a) | Collection After Default |
When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine or costs defaults in the payment of the fine or costs or of any installment, the fine or costs may be collected by any means authorized for the enforcement of a money judgment in a civil action.
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Wage/bank account garnishment | All | No |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 5-4-204(a) | Collection After Default |
When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine or costs defaults in the payment of the fine or costs or of any installment, the fine or costs may be collected by any means authorized for the enforcement of a money judgment in a civil action.
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Property liens | All | No |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 5-4-204(b) | Collection After Default |
A judgment that the defendant pay a fine or costs constitutes a lien on the real property and personal property of the defendant in the same manner and to the same extent as a money judgment in a civil action.
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Property liens | All | Yes |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 17-1-103(d)(1) | Registration, Certification, and Licensing for Criminal Offenders |
For the purposes of this section, completion of the following shall be deemed prima facie evidence of sufficient rehabilitation: (1) Probation or parole supervision. |
Driver's license suspension/impoundment | All | No |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-17-131 | Suspension of License for Failure to Appear |
(a) A person required to appear before a district court in this state, having been served with any form of notice to appear for any criminal offense, traffic violation, or misdemeanor charge, shall appear at the time and place designated in the notice.
(b)(1) If a person fails to appear as required in subsection (a) of this section, the presiding judge may suspend the person's driver's license.(2) The license shall be suspended until the person appears and completes the sentence ordered by the court.(3) After the person satisfies all requirements of the sentence, the Department of Finance and Administration shall assess the current fees for reinstatement of a driver's license. |
Driver's license suspension/impoundment | All | No |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 5-4-202 | Alternative Sentence Prohibited -- Time of Payment |
(a) If the defendant is sentenced to pay a fine or costs, the court shall not at the same time impose an alternative sentence or imprisonment to be served if the fine or costs are not paid.
(b)(1) If a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine or costs, the court may grant permission for payment to be made:(A) Within a specified period of time; or(B) In specified installments.(2) If permission under subdivision (b)(1) of this section is not granted in the sentence, the fine or costs are payable immediately. |
Payment plan/installment plan | All | No |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-92-104 | Costs and Fees -- Capital Cases |
The costs in all cases of conviction where the convict may be sentenced to suffer death, and all expenses attending the execution of the sentence, shall be adjudged and taxed by the court and paid out of the estate of the convict, and execution may be issued against the estate of the convict therefor.
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Property liens | Felony | Yes |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-92-102 | Costs and Fees -- Execution |
(a) The clerk of the court, at the end of each term, shall issue executions for all fines imposed on indictments, in penal actions, or otherwise, and for the costs of conviction in criminal cases during the term, and remaining unpaid, which shall be executed in the same manner as executions in civil cases. The property of the defendant may be seized and sold, notwithstanding that he or she may be in custody for the same demand.
(b) In every case where a witness is summoned by a special subpoena to testify in a particular case in which an indictment may be found, it shall be the duty of the clerk to tax the attendance of the witness with the cost of the suit, to be collected from the defendant, in the event that judgment shall be rendered against him or her therefor, and to be paid into the county treasury. |
Property liens | All | No |
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Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-92-101(a) | Costs and Fees -- Defendant's Property Bound From Time of Arrest |
The property, both real and personal, of any person charged with a criminal offense shall be bound from the time of his or her arrest or the finding of an indictment against him or her, whichever shall first happen, for the payment of all fines and costs which he or she may be adjudged to pay. However, no such lien shall be enforced unless the county judge of the county in which the judgment is rendered on the criminal charge shall file, or cause to be filed, with the circuit clerk of the county in which the person may own property, and within six (6) months after the rendition of judgment against the person, a notice of lis pendens as provided for in §§ 16-59-101 -- 16-59-105, 16-59-107, and 16-66-402 and shall cause suit to be instituted to enforce the lien within two (2) years after the date of the filing of the notice.
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Property liens | All | Yes |
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Arkansas | A.C.A. § 3-3-102 | Sentences and Fines |
(a) When a jail sentence is inflicted as part of the punishment, all persons convicted under this act shall serve out the sentence at hard labor; (b) All fines and costs assessed against any person under this act and not paid or replevied shall be served out by confinement at hard labor at the rate of one (1) day for each one dollar ($1.00) of the fine and costs.
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Work program/jail industry program | All | No |
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Oregon | Or. Rev. Stat. § 1.005 | Credit card transactions for fees, security deposits, fines and other court-imposed obligations; rules |
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or the presiding judge of any judicial district of this state may establish by rule a program to permit the use of credit card transactions as security deposits, fines, assessments, restitution or any other court-imposed monetary obligation arising out of an offense. The program may also provide for the use of credit card transactions to pay for filing fees, response fees, certification fees and any other fees charged by the court. Any rules adopted pursuant to this section may provide for recovery from the person using the credit card of an additional amount reasonably calculated to recover any charge to the court by a credit card company resulting from use of the credit card.
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Other | All | No |
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Texas | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art 43.09 (f),(j)-(k) | Fine Discharged |
(f) A court may require a defendant who is unable to pay a fine or costs to discharge all or part of the fine or costs by performing community service. (j) A court may not order a defendant to perform more than 16 hours per week of community service under Subsection (f) unless the court determines that requiring the defendant to perform additional hours does not impose an undue hardship on the defendant or the defendant’s dependents.
(k) A defendant is considered to have discharged $100 of fines or costs for each eight hours of community service performed under Subsection (f) of this article |
Community service | All | No |
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Texas | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 42.15(c) | Fines and Costs |
When imposing a fine and costs in a misdemeanor case, if the court determines that the defendant is unable to immediately pay the fine and costs, the court shall allow the defendant to pay the fine and costs in specified portions at designated intervals.
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Payment plan/installment plan | Misdemeanor | Yes |
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Texas | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.752(a)-(b) | Continuation or Modification of Community Supervision After Violation |
(a) If after a hearing under Article 42A.751(d) a judge continues or modifies community supervision after determining that the defendant violated a condition of community supervision, the judge may impose any other conditions the judge determines are appropriate, including: (1) a requirement that the defendant perform community service for a number of hours specified by the court under Article 42A.304, or an increase in the number of hours that the defendant has previously been required to perform under that article in an amount not to exceed double the number of hours permitted by that article; (2) an extension of the period of community supervision, in the manner described by Article 42A.753; (3) an increase in the defendant’s fine, in the manner described by Subsection (b); or (4) the placement of the defendant in a substance abuse felony punishment program operated under Section 493.009, Government Code . . .
(b) A judge may impose a sanction on a defendant described by Subsection (a)(3) by increasing the fine imposed on the defendant. The original fine imposed on the defendant and an increase in the fine imposed under this subsection may not exceed the maximum fine for the offense for which the defendant was sentenced. The judge shall deposit money received from an increase in the defendant’s fine under this subsection in the special fund of the county treasury to be used for the same purposes for which state aid may be used under Chapter 76, Government Code. |
Community service, Extension of probation/supervision, Increased fine | All | No |
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Texas | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 43.07 | Execution for Fine and Costs |
In each case of pecuniary fine, an execution may issue for the fine and costs, though a capias pro fine was issued for the defendant; and a capias pro fine may issue for the defendant though an execution was issued against the defendant's property. The execution shall be collected and returned as in civil actions. When the execution has been collected, the defendant shall be at once discharged; and whenever the fine and costs have been legally discharged in any way, the execution shall be returned satisfied.
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Property liens | All | No |
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Texas | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.751(a)(8)-(9) | Basic Discretionary Conditions |
The judge of the court having jurisdiction of the case shall determine the conditions of community supervision. The judge may impose any reasonable condition that is designed to protect or restore the community, protect or restore the victim, or punish, rehabilitate, or reform the defendant. Conditions of community supervision may include conditions requiring the defendant to:
(8) pay in one or more amounts: (A) the defendant’s fine, if one is assessed; and (B) all court costs, regardless of whether a fine is assessed; (9) support the defendant’s dependents |
Condition or extension of supervision | All | No |
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Texas | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.751(b),(e) | Violation of Conditions of Community Supervision; Detention and Hearing |
(b) At any time during the period of community supervision, the judge may issue a warrant for a violation of any condition of community supervision and cause the defendant to be arrested. Any supervision officer, police officer, or other officer with the power of arrest may arrest the defendant with or without a warrant on the order of the judge to be noted on the docket of the court. Subject to Subsection (c), a defendant arrested under this subsection may be detained in the county jail or other appropriate place of confinement until the defendant can be taken before the judge for a determination regarding the alleged violation.
(e) A judge may revoke without a hearing the community supervision of a defendant who is imprisoned in a penal institution if the defendant in writing before a court of record or a notary public in the jurisdiction where the defendant is imprisoned |
Incarceration | All | No |
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Texas | Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Art. 42A.652(b) | Monthly Reimbursement Fee |
The judge may make payment of the monthly fee a condition of granting or continuing the community supervision. |
Condition or extension of supervision | All | No |
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For more information, please visit cjpp.law.harvard.edu.