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.

15 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	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, + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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. + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 + See more 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.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Nevada	Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 176.305	Judgment for imprisonment or fine and imprisonment until satisfied: Commitment and detention.	If the judgment be imprisonment, or a fine and imprisonment until it is satisfied, the defendant must forthwith be committed to the custody of the proper officer, and detained until + See more the judgment is complied with.	Incarceration	All	Yes
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Nevada	Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 176.075	Rate of imprisonment in default of administrative assessment, fine or forfeiture	1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, when a person is sentenced to pay a fine or forfeiture without an accompanying sentence of imprisonment, the court may, pursuant to + See more NRS 62B.420 or 176.064, order that the person be confined in the city or county jail or detention facility for a period of not more than 1 day for each $75 of the amount until the administrative assessment and the fine or forfeiture are satisfied.2. The provisions of this section do not apply to indigent persons.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Nevada	Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 176.065	Rate of additional imprisonment in default of administrative assessment, fine or forfeiture	1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, when a person is sentenced to both fine and imprisonment, or to pay a forfeiture in addition to imprisonment, the court may, + See more pursuant to NRS 62B.420 or 176.064, order that the person be confined in the state prison, the city or county jail or a detention facility, whichever is designated in the person's sentence of imprisonment, for an additional period of 1 day for each $75 of the amount until the administrative assessment and the fine or forfeiture are satisfied or the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed by law for the offense committed has elapsed, whichever is earlier, but the person's eligibility for parole is governed only by the person's sentence of imprisonment.2. The provisions of this section do not apply to indigent persons.	Incarceration	All	No
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Nevada	Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 176.064 (3)(d)	Collection fee for unpaid administrative assessment, fine, fee or restitution; use of collection agency; report to credit agencies; civil judgment; attachment or garnishment; suspension of driver's license; imprisonment	3. The court may, on its own motion or at the request of a state or local entity that is responsible for collecting the delinquent fine, administrative assessment, fee or restitution, + See more take any or all of the following actions, in the following order of priority if practicable: . . . (d) For a delinquent fine or administrative assessment, order the confinement of the person in the appropriate prison, jail or detention facility, as provided in NRS 176.065 and 176.075.	Incarceration	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