Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps

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State Statute Description/Statute Name Statutory language Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap Level of offense Mandatory
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Florida Fla. Stat. §984.09(4)(d) Punishment for contempt of court; alternative sanctions

In addition to any other sanction imposed under this section, the court may direct the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to withhold issuance of, or suspend, a child's

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driver license or driving privilege. The court may order that a child's driver license or driving privilege be withheld or suspended for up to 1 year for a first offense of contempt and up to 2 years for a second or subsequent offense. If the child's driver license or driving privilege is suspended or revoked for any reason at the time the sanction for contempt is imposed, the court shall extend the period of suspension or revocation by the additional period ordered under this paragraph. If the child's driver license is being withheld at the time the sanction for contempt is imposed, the period of suspension or revocation ordered under this paragraph shall begin on the date on which the child is otherwise eligible to drive. For a child in need of services whose driver license or driving privilege is suspended under this paragraph, the court may direct the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue the child a license for driving privileges restricted to business or employment purposes only, as defined in s. 322.271, or for the purpose of completing court-ordered community service, if the child is otherwise qualified for a license. However, the department may not issue a restricted license unless specifically ordered to do so by the court.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All No
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Florida Fla. Stat. Ann. § 322.245(1) Suspension of license upon failure of person charged with specified offense

(1) If a person charged with a violation of any of the criminal offenses enumerated in s. 318.17 or with the commission of any offense constituting a misdemeanor under chapter

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320 or this chapter fails to comply with all of the directives of the court within the time allotted by the court, the clerk of the traffic court shall mail to the person, at the address specified on the uniform traffic citation, a notice of such failure, notifying him or her that, if he or she does not comply with the directives of the court within 30 days after the date of the notice and pay a delinquency fee of up to $25 to the clerk, from which the clerk shall remit $10 to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the General Revenue Fund, his or her driver license will be suspended. The notice shall be mailed no later than 5 days after such failure. The delinquency fee may be retained by the office of the clerk to defray the operating costs of the office.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §322.245(2) Suspension of license upon failure of person charged with specified offense

(2) In non-IV-D cases, if a person fails to pay child support under chapter 61 and the obligee so requests, the depository or the clerk of the court shall mail in

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accordance with s. 61.13016 the notice specified in that section, notifying him or her that if he or she does not comply with the requirements of that section and pay a delinquency fee of $25 to the depository or the clerk, his or her driver license and motor vehicle registration will be suspended. The delinquency fee may be retained by the depository or the office of the clerk to defray the operating costs of the office after the clerk remits $15 to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the General Revenue Fund.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §938.30(5)-(9) Financial obligations in criminal cases; supplementary proceedings

(5) The court may order that any nonexempt property of the person which is in the hands of another be applied toward satisfying the obligation.

(6) If judgment has not been

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previously entered on any court-imposed financial obligation, the court may enter judgment thereon and issue any writ necessary to enforce the judgment in the manner allowed in civil cases. Any judgment issued under this section constitutes a civil lien against the judgment debtor’s presently owned or after-acquired property, when recorded pursuant to s. 55.10. Supplementary proceedings undertaken by any governmental entity to satisfy a judgment imposed pursuant to this section may proceed without bond and without the payment of statutory fees associated with judgment enforcement.

(7) Provisions of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act apply to collection matters under this section and may be used to collect any court-imposed financial obligation subject to this section.

(8) If a criminal or civil judgment has previously been entered on a court-imposed financial obligation, the judgment constitutes a civil lien against the judgment debtor’s presently owned or after-acquired real or personal property when recorded pursuant to s. 55.10, except that a judgment on a court-imposed financial obligation is not subject to the 10-year rerecording requirement of s. 55.10. The judgment must secure all unpaid court-imposed financial obligations that are due and may accrue subsequent to the recording of the judgment, as well as interest and reasonable costs for issuing a satisfaction and recording the satisfaction in the official records.

(9) The clerk of the court shall enforce, satisfy, compromise, settle, subordinate, release, or otherwise dispose of any debts or liens imposed and collected under this section in the same manner as prescribed in s. 938.29(3).

Property liens All No
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Florida Fla. Stat. §960.292 Enforcement of the civil restitution lien through civil restitution lien order

The civil restitution lien shall be made enforceable by means of a civil restitution lien order. (1) Upon conviction, the convicted offender shall incur civil liability for damages and losses

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to crime victims, the state, its local subdivisions, and aggrieved parties as set forth in s. 960.293. The conviction shall estop the convicted offender from denying the essential allegations of that offense in any subsequent proceedings. (2) Upon motion by the state, upon petition of the local subdivision, crime victim, or aggrieved party, or on its own motion, the court in which the convicted offender is convicted shall enter civil restitution lien orders in favor of crime victims, the state, its local subdivisions, and other aggrieved parties. The court shall retain continuing jurisdiction over the convicted offender for the sole purpose of entering civil restitution lien orders for the duration of the sentence and up to 5 years from release from incarceration or supervision, whichever occurs later. (3) The court shall enter separate civil restitution lien orders as appropriate in favor of the crime victims, the state, its local subdivisions, or aggrieved parties. The civil restitution lien order shall include the name of the convicted offender, the case number assigned to the applicable criminal case, and the names and social security numbers of the crime victim, state, its local subdivisions, or aggrieved parties, as appropriate.

Property liens All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §938.29(2) Legal assistance; lien for payment of attorney's fees or costs

(2)(a) There is created in the name of the state a lien, enforceable as hereinafter provided, upon all the property, both real and personal, of any person who: 1. Has

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received any assistance from any public defender of the state, from any special assistant public defender, from any office of criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, or from any private conflict attorney, or who has received due process services after being found indigent for costs; or 2. Is a parent of an accused minor or an accused adult tax-dependent person who is being, or has been, represented by any public defender of the state, by any special assistant public defender, by any office of criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, or by a private conflict attorney, or who is receiving or has received due process services after being found indigent for costs.

Such lien constitutes a claim against the defendant-recipient or parent and his or her estate, enforceable according to law.

(b) A judgment showing the name and residence of the defendant-recipient or parent shall be recorded in the public record, without cost, by the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the defendant-recipient or parent resides and in each county in which such defendant-recipient or parent then owns or later acquires any property. Such judgments shall be enforced on behalf of the state by the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which assistance was rendered. The lien against a parent shall remain in force notwithstanding the child becoming emancipated or the child reaching the age of majority.

Property liens All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §775.089(5) Restitution

An order of restitution may be enforced by the state, or by a victim named in the order to receive the restitution, in the same manner as a judgment in

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a civil action. The outstanding unpaid amount of the order of restitution bears interest in accordance with s. 55.03, and, when properly recorded, becomes a lien on real estate owned by the defendant. If civil enforcement is necessary, the defendant shall be liable for costs and attorney’s fees incurred by the victim in enforcing the order.

Property liens All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §939.03 Execution for costs in capital cases

In all capital cases the costs in case of conviction shall be entered up against the prisoner, and the bill of costs, when taxed by the clerk and certified in

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the manner required by law to give a bill of costs the force of an execution, shall have the force of an execution, and may be levied upon any property of the prisoner found in the state. If the sheriff shall return said bill to the office of the clerk and make affidavit thereon that sufficient property cannot be found to pay the same, and shall state in the affidavit the amount left unpaid after exhausting all the property found, the bill, or the balance unpaid thereon, shall then be audited according to law and such amount shall be paid out of the county treasury.

Property liens Felony No
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Florida Fla. Stat. §939.185(1)(d) Assessment of additional court costs and surcharges

The clerk of court shall cause a certified copy of the court order imposing such costs to be recorded in the public records. Such record constitutes a lien against the

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person upon whom the costs are imposed and shall attach as a lien on any real property owned by such person located in the county in which such order is recorded in the same manner and to the same extent as a judgment recorded as provided in s. 55.10. Such order shall attach as a lien on any personal property owned by such person located in the state upon the filing with the Department of State of a judgment lien certificate regarding such order as provided in ss. 55.202-55.209. A lien created under this paragraph does not attach to, or make subject to execution of levy or foreclosure, any real or personal property otherwise exempt under s. 4, Art. X of the State Constitution. A lien created under this paragraph is enforceable in the same manner as provided by law.

Property liens All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §322.245(5)(a) Suspension of license upon failure of person charged with specified offense

When the department receives notice from a clerk of the court that a person licensed to operate a motor vehicle in this state under the provisions of this chapter has

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failed to pay financial obligations for any criminal offense other than those specified in subsection (1), in full or in part under a payment plan pursuant to s. 28.246(4), the department shall suspend the license of the person named in the notice.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §960.294(2) Effect of civil restitution liens

APPLICABILITY OF ALL JUDGMENT ENFORCEMENT REMEDIES. — A civil restitution lien order may be enforced by the crime victims, the state and its local subdivisions, or other aggrieved parties named

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in the civil restitution lien order, in the same manner as a judgment in a civil action, including levy against personal property by the sheriffs of this state and foreclosure against nonexempt real property. The provisions of chapter 726 apply to the transfer of the convicted offender’s assets to a third party and all other judgment enforcement remedies that are available by law.

Property liens All No
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Florida Fla. Stat. §945.6038(1) Inmate litigation costs

(1) The department shall charge an inmate for the following and place a lien on the inmate's trust fund account if the inmate has insufficient funds at the time the

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charges are imposed:(a) Costs of duplication of documents and accompanying evidentiary materials needed to initiate civil proceedings in judicial or administrative forums or that must be filed or served in a pending civil proceeding. The following costs are authorized: 1. Up to 15 cents per one-sided copy for duplicated copies of not more than 14 inches by 81/2 inches; or 2. For all other copies, the actual cost of duplication.

Property liens All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. Ann. § 849.20 Machines and devices declared nuisance; place of operation subject to lien for fine

Any room, house, building, boat, vehicle, structure or place wherein any machine or device, or any part thereof, the possession, operation or use of which is prohibited by ss. 849.15-849.23,

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shall be maintained or operated, and each of such machines or devices, is declared to be a common nuisance. If a person has knowledge, or reason to believe, that his or her room, house, building, boat, vehicle, structure or place is occupied or used in violation of the provisions of ss. 849.15-849.23 and by acquiescence or consent suffers the same to be used, such room, house, building, boat, vehicle, structure or place shall be subject to a lien for and may be sold to pay all fines or costs assessed against the person guilty of such nuisance, for such violation, and the several state attorneys shall enforce such lien in the courts of this state having jurisdiction.

Property liens All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §316.1937(5)(b) Ignition interlock devices, requiring; unlawful acts

Any person convicted of a violation of subsection (6) who does not have a driver license shall, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, pay a fine of

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not less than $250 or more than $500 per each such violation. In the event that the person is unable to pay any such fine, the fine shall become a lien against the motor vehicle used in violation of subsection (6) and payment shall be made pursuant to s. 316.3025(5).

Property liens Traffic Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §951.033(6) Income and assets; payment of subsistence costs

If the prisoner's cash account at the local detention facility does not contain sufficient funds to cover subsistence costs, the chief correctional officer may place a civil restitution lien against

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the prisoner's cash account or other personal property. A civil restitution lien may continue for a period of 3 years and applies to the cash account of any prisoner who is reincarcerated within the county in which the civil restitution lien was originated.

Property liens All No
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Florida Fla. Stat. §944.512(1) State lien on proceeds from literary or other type of account of crime for which convicted

A lien prior in dignity to all others shall exist in favor of the state upon royalties, commissions, proceeds of sale, or any other thing of value payable to or

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accruing to a convicted felon or a person on her or his behalf, including any person to whom the proceeds may be transferred or assigned by gift or otherwise, from any literary, cinematic, or other account of the crime for which she or he was convicted. A conviction shall be defined as a guilty verdict by a jury or judge, or a guilty or nolo contendere plea by the defendant, regardless of adjudication of guilt. The lien shall attach at the time of the conviction in county or circuit court. In the event of an appeal, the funds will be held in the Revolving Escrow Trust Fund of the Department of Legal Affairs until the appeal is resolved.

Property liens All Yes
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Florida Fla. Stat. §951.032 Financial responsibility for medical expenses

(1) A county detention facility or municipal detention facility incurring expenses for providing medical care, treatment, hospitalization, or transportation may seek reimbursement for the expenses incurred in the following order:

(a)

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From the prisoner or person receiving medical care, treatment, hospitalization, or transportation by deducting the cost from the prisoner’s cash account on deposit with the detention facility. If the prisoner’s cash account does not contain sufficient funds to cover medical care, treatment, hospitalization, or transportation, then the detention facility may place a lien against the prisoner’s cash account or other personal property, to provide payment in the event sufficient funds become available at a later time. Any existing lien may be carried over to future incarceration of the same prisoner as long as the future incarceration takes place within the county originating the lien and the future incarceration takes place within 3 years of the date the lien was placed against the prisoner’s account or other personal property.

(2) A prisoner who receives medical care, treatment, hospitalization, or transportation shall cooperate with the county detention facility or municipal detention facility in seeking reimbursement under paragraphs(1)(a) and (b) for expenses incurred by the facility for the prisoner. A prisoner who willfully refuses to cooperate with the reimbursement efforts of the detention facility may have a lien placed against the prisoner's cash account or other personal property and may not receive gain-time as provided by s. 951.21.

Property liens All No
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West Virginia W. Va. Code § 50-3-2a(b)-(c)(1), (f)(1) Payment by credit card or payment plan; suspension of licenses for failure to make payments or appear or respond; restitution; liens

(b) Unless otherwise required by law, a magistrate court may collect a portion of any costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties at the time the amount is imposed by the

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court so long as the court requires the balance to be paid in accordance with a payment plan which specifies: (1) The number of payments to be made; (2) the dates on which the payments are due; and (3) the amounts due for each payment. The written agreement represents the minimum payments and the last date those payments may be made. The obligor or the obligor's agent may accelerate the payment schedule at any time by paying any additional portion of any costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties.

(c) (1) If any costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties imposed by the magistrate court in a criminal case are not paid within one hundred eighty days from the date of judgment and the expiration of any stay of execution, the magistrate court clerk or, upon judgment rendered on appeal, the circuit clerk shall notify the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles of the failure to pay: Provided, That in a criminal case in which a nonresident of this state is convicted of a motor vehicle violation defined in section three-a [§ 17B-3-3a], article three, chapter seventeen-b of this code, the appropriate clerk shall notify the Division of Motor Vehicles of the failure to pay within eighty days from the date of judgment and expiration of any stay of execution. Upon notice, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall suspend any privilege the person defaulting on payment may have to operate a motor vehicle in this state, including any driver's license issued to the person by the Division of Motor Vehicles, until all costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties are paid in full. The suspension shall be imposed in accordance with the provisions of section six [§ 17B-3-6], article three, chapter seventeen-b of this code: Provided, That any person who has had his or her license to operate a motor vehicle in this state suspended pursuant to this subsection and his or her failure to pay is based upon inability to pay, may, if he or she is employed on a full- or part-time basis, petition to the circuit court for an order authorizing him or her to operate a motor vehicle solely for employment purposes. Upon a showing satisfactory to the court of inability to pay, employment and compliance with other applicable motor vehicle laws, the court shall issue an order granting relief.

(f) (1) If all costs, fines, fees, forfeitures, restitution or penalties imposed by a magistrate court and ordered to be paid are not paid within one hundred eighty days from the date of judgment and the expiration of any stay of execution, the clerk of the magistrate court shall notify the prosecuting attorney of the county of nonpayment and provide the prosecuting attorney with an abstract of judgment. The prosecuting attorney shall file the abstract of judgment in the office of the clerk of the county commission in the county where the defendant was convicted and in any county wherein the defendant resides or owns property. The clerks of the county commissions shall record and index the abstracts of judgment without charge or fee to the prosecuting attorney and when so recorded, the amount stated to be owing in the abstract shall constitute a lien against all property of the defendant.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment, Payment plan/installment plan, Property liens All No
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West Virginia W. Va. Code § 62-4-17 Suspension of licenses for failure to pay fines and costs or failure to appear in court

(a) If costs, fines, forfeitures, penalties or restitution imposed by the circuit court upon conviction of a person for any criminal offense under this code are not paid in full when

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ordered to do so by the court, the circuit clerk shall notify the Division of Motor Vehicles of such failure to pay: Provided, That at the time the judgment is imposed, the court shall provide the person with written notice that failure to pay the same when ordered to do so shall result in the suspension of such person’s license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state and that such suspension could result in the cancellation of, the failure to renew or the failure to issue an automobile insurance policy providing coverage for such person or such person’s family: Provided, however, That the failure of the court to provide such notice shall not affect the validity of any suspension of such person’s license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state. For purposes of this section, such period of time within which the person is required to pay shall be stayed during any period an appeal from the conviction which resulted in the imposition of such costs, fines, forfeitures or penalties is pending.

Upon such notice, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall suspend the person’s driver’s license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle in this state until such time that the costs, fines, forfeitures or penalties are paid.

 

Driver's license suspension/impoundment All Yes