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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	New Jersey	N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:46-2	Consequences of Nonpayment	If the court finds that the person defaulted on payment of a court-imposed financial obligation, restitution, or child support or other support or maintenance ordered by a court without good cause and finds + See more that the default was willful, the court may, in addition to the action required by paragraph (1) of this subsection a., impose a term of imprisonment or participation in a labor assistance program or enforced community service to achieve the objective of the court-imposed financial obligation, restitution, or child support or other support or maintenance ordered by a court. These options shall not reduce the amount owed by the person in default. The term of imprisonment or enforced community service or participation in a labor assistance program in such case shall be specified in the order of commitment. It need not be equated with any particular dollar amount but, in the case of a fine it shall not exceed one day for each $50 of the fine nor shall it exceed a period of 90 consecutive days. In no case shall the total period of imprisonment in the case of a disorderly persons offense for both the sentence of imprisonment and for failure to pay a fine exceed six months.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	New Jersey	N.J. Stat. Ann. § 17:29A-35	Motor vehicle violations surcharges for private passenger automobiles	If, upon written notification from the commission or its designee, mailed to the last address of record with the commission, a driver fails to pay a surcharge levied under this section and + See more collectible by the commission, the driving privilege of the driver shall be suspended forthwith until at least five percent of each outstanding surcharge assessment that has resulted in suspension is paid to the commission; except that the commission may authorize payment of the surcharge on an installment basis over a period of 12 months for assessments under $2,300 or 24 months for assessments of $2,300 or more. The commission, for good cause, may authorize payment of any surcharge on an installment basis over a period not to exceed 36 months. If a driver fails to pay the surcharge or any installments on the surcharge, the total surcharge shall become due immediately, except as otherwise prescribed by rule of the commission.	Payment plan/installment plan	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	New Jersey	N.J. Stat. Ann. § 17:29A-35	Motor vehicle violations surcharges for private passenger automobiles	As an additional remedy, the commission may issue a certificate to the Clerk of the Superior Court stating that the person identified in the certificate is indebted under this surcharge + See more law in such amount as shall be stated in the certificate. The certificate shall reference the statute under which the indebtedness arises. Thereupon the clerk to whom such certificate shall have been issued shall immediately enter upon the record of docketed judgments the name of such person as debtor; the State as creditor; the address of such person, if shown in the certificate; the amount of the debt so certified; a reference to the statute under which the surcharge is assessed, and the date of making such entries. The docketing of the entries shall have the same force and effect as a civil judgment docketed in the Superior Court, and the commission shall have all the remedies and may take all of the proceedings for the collection thereof which may be had or taken upon the recovery of a judgment in an action, but without prejudice to any right of appeal.		All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Rhode Island	R.I. Gen. Laws. Ann. § 12-19-8.1	Conditions of probation	(a) The following shall constitute basic conditions of probation applicable to all defendants upon whom a period of probation has been imposed: (8) Pay restitution, court costs, and fines, if + See more assessed, in one or several sums, based on the defendant's ability to pay; and	Condition or extension of supervision	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Rhode Island	R.I. Gen. Laws. Ann. § 12-25-26	Recovery from offender	(a) Whenever any person is convicted of an offense and compensation is awarded under this chapter or under the 1972 Act for a personal injury or death resulting from the + See more act constituting the offense, the state of Rhode Island shall institute an action against that person for the recovery of the whole or any specified part of the compensation in the superior court of the state of Rhode Island in any county, or in the state or federal court of any other state or district in which that person resides or is found, or make a finding in writing, of the reasons why it is impractical or impossible to institute that action. The office shall pursue the recovery whenever possible in order to provide additional funds for the violent crimes indemnity account. The administrator shall develop rules and regulations pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of title 42, to identify those so convicted, determine their ability to compensate the fund, and file whatever action is appropriate to recoup those funds.	Civil judgment	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Wyoming	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-16-204	Fines for misconduct	The department of corrections shall adopt rules and regulations to establish a system for punishing prisoner misconduct through the imposition of fines to be deducted from compensation earned as provided + See more by W.S. 7-16-203. The rules shall provide for the distribution of the proceeds of fines collected under this section as special aid to discharged or paroled prisoners who are infirm or in any way incapable of earning a sufficient subsistence after their release.	Wage/bank account garnishment	All	No
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
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Wyoming	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-9-104	Preparation of plan; contents	(a) In any case in which the court has ordered restitution under W.S. 7-9-102, 7-9-113 or 7-13-301, if the sentencing court orders suspended imposition of sentence, suspended sentence or probation, + See more the court shall require that the defendant in cooperation with the probation and parole officer assigned to the defendant, or in the case of unsupervised probation any probation and parole officer or any other person the court directs, promptly prepare a plan of restitution including the name and address of each victim, the amount of restitution determined to be owed to each victim pursuant to W.S. 7-9-103 or 7-9-114 and a schedule of restitution payments. If the defendant is presently unable to make any restitution but there is a reasonable possibility that the defendant may be able to do so at some time during his probation period, the plan of restitution shall also state the conditions under which or the event after which the defendant shall make restitution. In structuring a plan for reimbursement under this section, victim restitution shall be paid in the following order: (i) Pecuniary damages suffered by the victim which have not been paid by insurance or from the crime victim's compensation account; (ii) Payment of other amounts owed by the defendant arising from the case.	Condition or extension of supervision, Payment plan/installment plan	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Wyoming	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-9-108(a)	Compliance with plan as condition of probation or suspension; payments to clerk	(a) Compliance with the plan of restitution as approved or modified by the court shall be a condition of the defendant's probation or suspension.	Condition or extension of supervision	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Wyoming	Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-13-301(a)(v),(c)	Placing person found guilty, but not convicted, on probation	(a) If a person who has not previously been convicted of any felony is charged with or is found guilty of or pleads guilty or no contest to any misdemeanor + See more except any second or subsequent violation of W.S. 31-5-233 or any similar provision of law, or any second or subsequent violation of W.S. 6-2-510(a) or 6-2-511(a) or any similar provision of law, or any felony except murder, sexual assault in the first or second degree, aggravated assault and battery or arson in the first or second degree, the court may, with the consent of the defendant and the state and without entering a judgment of guilt or conviction, defer further proceedings and place the person on probation for a term not to exceed thirty-six (36) months upon terms and conditions set by the court. The terms of probation shall include that he: (v) Pay restitution to each victim in accordance with W.S. 7-9-101 and 7-9-103 through 7-9-115. (c) If the defendant violates a term or condition of probation at any time before final discharge, the court may: (i) Enter an adjudication of guilt and conviction and proceed to impose sentence upon the defendant if he previously pled guilty to or was found guilty of the original charge for which probation was granted under this section; or (ii) Order that the trial of the original charge proceed if the defendant has not previously pled or been found guilty.	Condition or extension of supervision, Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Wyoming	Wyo. R. Crim. P. 46.4(c)	Sanctions for Failure to Appear or for Violation of Release Order	(c) Violation of release condition. A person who has been released under Rule 46.1, 46.2, or Rule 46.3 and who has violated a condition of that release, is subject to + See more a revocation of release and a prosecution for contempt of court.	Incarceration	All	No

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