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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.
19 Results
State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap | Level of offense | Mandatory | |
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 909.5 | Nonpayment of fines and court costs — contempt |
A person who is able to pay a fine, court-imposed court costs for a criminal proceeding, or both, or an installment of the fine or the court-imposed court costs, or both, and who refuses to do so, or who fails to make a good faith effort to pay the fine, court costs, or both, or any installment thereof, shall be held in contempt of court.
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Incarceration | All | Yes |
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 665.4 | Contempts: Punishment |
The punishment for contempt, where not otherwise specifically provided, shall be: 1. In the supreme court or the court of appeals, by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
2. Before district judges, district associate judges, and associate juvenile judges by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months or by both such fine and imprisonment. 3. Before judicial magistrates, by a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars or imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding thirty days. |
Increased fine | All | Yes |
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 665.5 | Contempts: Imprisonment |
If the contempt consists in an omission to perform an act which is yet in the power of the person to perform, the person may be imprisoned until the person performs it. In that case the act to be performed must be specified in the warrant of the commitment.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 8A.504(d)(3),(2) | Setoff Procedures |
d. “Qualifying debt” includes, but is not limited to, the following: (3) Any debt which is in the form of a liquidated sum due, owing, and payable to the clerk of the district court.
2. Setoff procedure. The collection entity shall establish and maintain a procedure to set off against any claim owed to a person by a public agency any liability of that person owed to a public agency, a support debt being enforced by the child support recovery unit pursuant to chapter 252B, or such other qualifying debt. |
Wage/bank account garnishment | All | Yes |
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Iowa | Iowa Code § 321.210A(1) | Suspension for failure to pay fine, surcharge, or costs |
1. The department shall suspend the driver’s license of a person who, upon conviction of violating a law regulating the operation of a motor vehicle, has failed to pay the criminal fine or penalty, surcharge, or court costs, as follows:
a. Upon the failure of a person to timely pay the fine, penalty, surcharge, or court costs the clerk of the district court shall notify the person by regular mail that if the fine, penalty, surcharge, or court costs remain unpaid after sixty days from the date of mailing, the clerk will notify the department of the failure for purposes of instituting suspension procedures. b. Upon the failure of a person to pay the fine, penalty, surcharge, or court costs within sixty days’ notice by the clerk of the district court as provided in paragraph “b”, the clerk shall report the failure to the department. c. Upon receipt of a report of a failure to pay the fine, penalty, surcharge, or court costs from the clerk of the district court, the department shall in accordance with its rules, suspend the person’s driver’s license until the fine, penalty, surcharge, or court costs are paid. |
Driver's license suspension/impoundment | Traffic | Yes |
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Pennsylvania | 42 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 9728(a) | Collection - interest |
Except as provided in subsection (b)(5), all restitution, reparation, fees, costs, fines and penalties shall be collected by the county probation department or other agent designated by the county commissioners + See moreof the county with the approval of the president judge of the county for that purpose in any manner provided by law. However, such restitution, reparation, fees, costs, fines and penalties are part of a criminal action or proceeding and shall not be deemed debts. A sentence, pretrial disposition order or order entered under section 6352 (relating to disposition of delinquent child) for restitution, reparation, fees, costs, fines or penalties shall, together with interest and any additional costs that may accrue, be a judgment in favor of the probation department upon the person or the property of the person sentenced or subject to the order.
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Collection fee/interest | All | No |
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Pennsylvania | 42 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 9728(b)(5) | Collection - procedure |
The county correctional facility to which the offender has been sentenced or the Department of Corrections shall be authorized to make monetary deductions from inmate personal accounts for the purpose + See moreof collecting restitution or any other court-ordered obligation or costs imposed
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Wage/bank account garnishment | All | No |
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Pennsylvania | Pa. R. Crim. P. 430(B)(4) | Failure to respond to traffic citation |
(4) that failure to respond to the citation as provided above within the time specified:
(a) shall result in the issuance of + See morea summons when a violation of an ordinance or any parking offense is charged, or when the defendant is under 18 years of age, and in all other cases shall result in the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the defendant; and
(b) shall result in the suspension of the defendant’s driver’s license when a violation of the Vehicle Code is charged;
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Driver's license suspension/impoundment | Traffic | Yes |
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Pennsylvania | 42 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 9730(b)(2) | Failure to pay court costs, restitution and fines |
(b) Procedures regarding default.--(1) If a defendant defaults in the payment of a fine, court costs or restitution after imposition of sentence, the issuing authority or a senior judge or + See moresenior magisterial district judge appointed by the president judge for the purposes of this section may conduct a hearing to determine whether the defendant is financially able to pay.
(2) If the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge determines that the defendant is financially able to pay the fine or costs, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may turn the delinquent account over to a private collection agency or impose imprisonment for nonpayment, as provided by law.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Pennsylvania | 42 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 9730 | Failure to pay court costs, restitution and fines |
(b) Procedures regarding default.-- . . .
(3) If the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge determines that the defendant is without the financial means to pay + See morethe fine or costs immediately or in a single remittance, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may provide for payment in installments. In determining the appropriate installments, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge shall consider the defendant's financial resources, the defendant's ability to make restitution and reparations and the nature of the burden the payment will impose on the defendant. If the defendant is in default of a payment or advises the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge that default is imminent, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may schedule a rehearing on the payment schedule. At the rehearing the defendant has the burden of proving changes of financial condition such that the defendant is without the means to meet the payment schedule. The issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may extend or accelerate the schedule, leave it unaltered or sentence the defendant to a period of community service as the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge finds to be just and practicable under the circumstances.
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Community service | All | No |
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Pennsylvania | 42 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 9730 | Failure to pay court costs, restitution and fines |
(b) Procedures regarding default.-- . . .
(3) If the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge determines that the defendant is without the financial means to pay + See morethe fine or costs immediately or in a single remittance, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may provide for payment in installments. In determining the appropriate installments, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge shall consider the defendant's financial resources, the defendant's ability to make restitution and reparations and the nature of the burden the payment will impose on the defendant. If the defendant is in default of a payment or advises the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge that default is imminent, the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may schedule a rehearing on the payment schedule. At the rehearing the defendant has the burden of proving changes of financial condition such that the defendant is without the means to meet the payment schedule. The issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge may extend or accelerate the schedule, leave it unaltered or sentence the defendant to a period of community service as the issuing authority, senior judge or senior magisterial district judge finds to be just and practicable under the circumstances.
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Payment plan/installment plan | All | No |
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Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-10-105 | Commitment for refusal to pay fine or costs; rate per day |
A person committed to jail for willfully refusing to pay a fine or costs may be imprisoned if the court determines that the defendant has an ability to pay or that a reasonable probability exists that the defendant will have an ability to pay, until the imprisonment, at the rate of fifteen dollars ($15.00) per day, equals the amount of the fine or costs, or the amount shall be paid or secured to be paid when he is discharged.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-11-504 | Commitment until fine and costs paid |
If a defendant sentenced to pay a fine or costs defaults in payment, the court may order the defendant to show cause why he should not be committed to jail. If the court finds that the defendant's default is willful or is due to a failure on defendant's part to make a good faith effort to obtain the funds required for the payment and the court determines that the defendant has an ability to pay or that a reasonable probability exists that the defendant will have an ability to pay, the court may order him committed until the fine or costs, or a specified part thereof, is paid. The defendant shall be given a credit for each day of imprisonment at the rate provided by W.S. 6 10 105, and may earn additional credits against his fine or costs for work performed as provided by W.S. 7 16 101 through 7 16 104.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-16-104 | Labor by prisoners. County jail. Credits. |
7-16-104. Credits. (a) The sentencing court may reduce the term of a sentence, fine, costs or attorney fees of a prisoner sentenced to imprisonment or placed on probation, for work performed under W.S. 7-16-101 through 7-16-104.
(b) If a reduction is ordered pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the reduction shall be: (i) At the rate of one (1) day for each eight (8) hours of work performed under W.S. 7-16-101 through 7-16-104, provided the reduction in sentence shall not exceed one-half (1/2) of the original sentence; (ii) In an amount equal to the federal minimum hourly wage for each hour of work performed provided that the total amount of reduction in the fine, costs or attorney fees shall not exceed one-half (1/2) of the total amount of the fine, costs and attorney fees. (c) The court shall direct whether the credits under subsection (b) of this section shall apply against the prisoner's term of imprisonment, his fine, court costs, attorney fees or other fees imposed by the court. (d) A person committed to county jail for refusal to pay a fine or costs shall, in addition to the credit allowed by W.S. 6-10-105, be granted a credit against his fine or costs in an amount equal to the federal minimum hourly wage for each hour of work performed. |
Work program/jail industry program | All | Yes |
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Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 31-9-305 | Payment of judgments in installments; failure to meet payments |
(a) A judgment debtor upon notice to the judgment creditor may apply to the court in which judgment was rendered for the privilege of paying the judgment in installments and the court, in its discretion and without prejudice to any other legal remedies which the judgment creditor may have, may order and fix the amounts and times of payment of the installments.
(b) The division shall not suspend a license, registration or a nonresident's operating privilege, and shall restore any license, registration or nonresident's operating privilege suspended following nonpayment of a judgment, when the judgment debtor gives proof of financial responsibility and obtains an order permitting the payment of the judgment in installments, and while the payment of any installment is not in default. (c) If the judgment debtor fails to pay any installment as specified by the order, then upon notice of default, the division shall suspend the license, registration or nonresident's operating privilege of the judgment debtor until the judgment is fully satisfied, as provided in this act. |
Driver's license suspension/impoundment, Payment plan/installment plan | All | No |
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Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 5-6-111 | Execution on judgments |
Upon assessment of any fine and costs for the conviction of a violation of any ordinance of a city or town, judgment shall be entered against the defendant in favor of the city or town. If the judgment is not paid within ninety (90) days from the date of the judgment the city or town may collect judgment by execution in circuit court in the manner provided by law. Except as otherwise provided by law all amounts recovered pursuant to this section shall be deposited with the city or town treasurer, used for the benefit of the city or town, and credited against the fine and reasonable costs of collection.
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Civil judgment | Misdemeanor | Yes |
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Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 5-6-211 | Working prisoners; credit for work done |
Whenever the defendant is sentenced to imprisonment for the violation of a city ordinance, he may be put to work for the benefit of the city, if it is determined that adequate supervision is available, for the term of his imprisonment, and when committed for the nonpayment of a fine, or costs, for the violation of any ordinance, he may also be put to work for the benefit of the city, and shall be credited on such fine and costs, fifteen dollars ($15.00) per day for each day he shall work.
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Work program/jail industry program | All | No |
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Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 31-9-303 | Continued suspension until judgment satisfied; discharge in bankruptcy |
Except as provided in W.S. 31-9-305, the license, registration and nonresident's operating privilege shall not be renewed, nor shall any license or registration be issued in the name of the person, including any person not previously licensed, until every judgment is stayed, satisfied or discharged, except that a discharge in bankruptcy does satisfy the judgment for the purposes of this section.
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Driver's license suspension/impoundment | All | Yes |
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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 a revocation of release and a prosecution for contempt of court.
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Incarceration | All | No |
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