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.
14 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap | Level of offense | Mandatory | |
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Connecticut | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 18-63 | Commitment for failure to pay a fine | Upon any conviction for a crime, if the convict fails to pay any fine lawfully imposed, he shall be committed to a community correctional center until such fine is paid. | Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Connecticut | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-399 | Commitment of debtor for contempt. |
Any judge before whom any such examination is ordered may commit the judgment debtor for contempt in case of his neglect or refusal to attend or be sworn at the + See moreexamination or to answer any question put to him during the examination, and any such neglect or refusal, if the examination is ordered or had before a committee, may be by such committee reported to the judge by whom he was appointed, which judge may thereupon proceed for the contempt as fully as if the examination had been ordered or had before himself.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Connecticut | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 18-50(a)(1) | Credit against unpaid fine for time spent in confinement, employed or performing community service |
(a)(1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, each person committed to any community correctional center upon conviction of any criminal offense, and held therein only for the payment of a fine, shall be discharged from confinement when the time served by such person at a per diem rate equal to the average daily cost of incarceration as determined by the Commissioner of Correction amounts to such fine or the balance thereof remaining unpaid. Such person shall earn an additional credit of fifty dollars toward such fine or balance thereof remaining unpaid for each day such person is employed at productive or maintenance work and has established a satisfactory work record. In computing the number of days to be served, credit shall be given for Sundays, holidays and the day of admission. Each person so committed shall be released during the day following that which completes the time to be served when computed in accordance with this subdivision, or immediately upon payment of the fine in full.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §948.06(5) | Violation of probation or community control; revocation; modification; continuance; failure to pay restitution or cost of supervision |
In any hearing in which the failure of a probationer or offender in community control to pay restitution or the cost of supervision as provided in s. 948.09, as directed, is established by the state, if the probationer or offender asserts his or her inability to pay restitution or the cost of supervision, it is incumbent upon the probationer or offender to prove by clear and convincing evidence that he or she does not have the present resources available to pay restitution or the cost of supervision despite sufficient bona fide efforts legally to acquire the resources to do so. If the probationer or offender cannot pay restitution or the cost of supervision despite sufficient bona fide efforts, the court shall consider alternate measures of punishment other than imprisonment. Only if alternate measures are not adequate to meet the state's interests in punishment and deterrence may the court imprison a probationer or offender in community control who has demonstrated sufficient bona fide efforts to pay restitution or the cost of supervision.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §984.09(2) | Punishment for contempt of court; alternative sanctions |
PLACEMENT IN A SECURE FACILITY.A child may be placed in a secure facility for purposes of punishment for contempt of court if alternative sanctions are unavailable or inappropriate, or if the child has already been ordered to serve an alternative sanction but failed to comply with the sanction.(a) A delinquent child who has been held in direct or indirect contempt may be placed in a secure detention facility for 5 days for a first offense or 15 days for a second or subsequent offense, or in a secure residential commitment facility. (b) A child in need of services who has been held in direct contempt or indirect contempt may be placed, for 5 days for a first offense or 15 days for a second or subsequent offense, in a staff-secure shelter or a staff-secure residential facility solely for children in need of services if such placement is available, or, if such placement is not available, the child may be placed in an appropriate mental health facility or substance abuse facility for assessment. In addition to disposition under this paragraph, a child in need of services who is held in direct contempt or indirect contempt may be placed in a physically secure setting as provided under s. 984.226 if conditions of eligibility are met.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §938.30(2) | Financial obligations in criminal cases; supplementary proceedings |
The court may require a person liable for payment of an obligation to appear and be examined under oath concerning the person’s financial ability to pay the obligation. The judge may convert the statutory financial obligation into a court-ordered obligation to perform community service, subject to the provisions of s. 318.18(8), after examining a person under oath and determining the person’s inability to pay. Any person who fails to attend a hearing may be arrested on warrant or capias issued by the clerk upon order of the court.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §901.11 | Effect of not answering summons |
Failure to appear as commanded by a summons without good cause is an indirect criminal contempt of court and may be punished by a fine of not more than $100. When a person fails to appear as commanded by a summons, the trial court judge shall issue a warrant. If the trial court judge acquires reason to believe that the person summoned will not appear as commanded after issuing a summons, the trial court judge may issue a warrant.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §939.04 | Execution for costs in other cases |
In all cases less than capital, wherein the defendant may be adjudged to pay costs, a capias may be issued, as is provided for the collection of fines and forfeitures. |
Incarceration | All | No |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §901.31 | Failure to obey written promise to appear |
Any person who willfully fails to appear before any court or judicial officer as required by a written notice to appear shall be fined not more than the fine of the principal charge or imprisoned up to the maximum sentence of imprisonment of the principal charge, or both, regardless of the disposition of the charge upon which the person was originally arrested. Nothing in this section shall interfere with or prevent the court from exercising its power to punish for contempt.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §941.18 | Forfeiture of bail |
If the prisoner is admitted to bail, and fails to appear and surrender himself or herself according to the conditions of his or her bond, the judge shall declare the bond forfeited and order his or her immediate arrest without warrant if he or she is within this state. Recovery may be had on such bond in the name of the state as in the case of other bonds given by the accused in criminal proceedings within this state.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §903.105 | Appearance bonds |
Any person who willfully fails to appear before any court or judicial officer as required by a written notice to appear shall be fined not more than the fine of the principal charge or imprisoned up to the maximum sentence of imprisonment of the principal charge, or both, regardless of the disposition of the charge upon which the person was originally arrested. Nothing in this section shall interfere with or prevent the court from exercising its power to punish for contempt.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §951.16 | Prisoners entitled to receive credit on fine based on imprisonment |
Every person who may be imprisoned in the county jail for failure to pay a fine and costs, or either, under sentence imposed upon conviction for crime shall be entitled to receive, together with subsistence, a credit on such fine and costs, or either, as the case may be, in proportion to the time such person may be imprisoned.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §922.04 | Discharge of prisoner unable to pay fine |
When the court determines on the written application of a prisoner that he or she has been imprisoned for 60 days solely for failure to pay a fine or costs which total not more than $300 and that the prisoner is indigent and unable to pay the fine or costs, the court shall order the prisoner discharged from custody.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §984.09(1) | Punishment for contempt of court; alternative sanctions |
The court may punish any child for contempt for interfering with the court or with court administration, or for violating any provision of this chapter or order of the court relative thereto. It is the intent of the Legislature that the court restrict and limit the use of contempt powers with respect to commitment of a child to a secure facility. A child who commits direct contempt of court or indirect contempt of a valid court order may be taken into custody and ordered to serve an alternative sanction or placed in a secure facility, as authorized in this section, by order of the court.
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Incarceration | All | No |
The Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder is a project of the National Criminal Justice Debt Initiative of the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School in collaboration with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and with user experience design by metaLAB (at) Harvard.
For more information, please visit cjpp.law.harvard.edu.