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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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
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the 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.
Community service All No
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Virginia Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-354(C) Community Service
C. The court shall establish a program and may provide an option to any person upon whom a fine and costs have been imposed to discharge all or part of
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the fine or costs by earning credits for the performance of community service work before or after imprisonment. The program shall specify the rate at which credits are earned and provide for the manner of applying earned credits against the fine or costs. The court shall have such other authority as is reasonably necessary for or incidental to carrying out this program.
Community service All No
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Virginia Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-356 Requiring payment as condition of probation/suspended sentence
If a defendant is placed on probation, or imposition or execution of sentence is suspended, or both, the court may make payment of any fine, or costs, or fine and
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costs, either on a certain date or on an installment basis, a condition of probation or suspension of sentence.
Condition or extension of supervision All No
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California Cal. Rules of Court 4.335(4)(B) Ability to pay determination for infraction offenses the court may exercise its discretion to: . . . (B) Allow the defendant to complete community service in lieu of paying the total fine (if available) Community service Misdemeanor No
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Louisiana CCRP 895.5.C Compliance Enforcement
The district attorney may take all lawful action necessary to require compliance with court-ordered payments, including filing a petition for revocation of probation, filing a petition to show cause for
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contempt of court, or institution of any other civil or criminal proceedings which may be authorized by law or by rule of court. In addition, the district attorney may issue appropriate notices to inform the defendant of his noncompliance and of the penalty for noncompliance. In the event that the district attorney institutes any other civil or criminal proceedings pursuant to this Paragraph, the defendant shall be charged costs of court and such costs shall be added to the amount due.
Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Mississippi Miss. Code Ann. § 99-37-5(2) Payment and orders
(2) When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine or costs or ordered to make restitution is also placed on probation or imposition or execution of sentence is suspended, the
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court may make payment of the fine or costs or the making of restitution a condition of probation or suspension of sentence. Such offenders shall make restitution payments directly to the victim. As an alternative to a contempt proceeding under Sections 99-37-7 through 99-37-13, the intentional refusal to obey the restitution order or a failure by a defendant to make a good faith effort to make such restitution may be considered a violation of the defendant's probation and may be cause for revocation of his probation or suspension of sentence.
Condition or extension of supervision All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 24-21-100. Administrative monitoring
(A) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 24-19-120, 24-21-440, 24-21-560(B), or 24-21-670, when an individual has not fulfilled the individual's obligations for payment of financial obligations by the end of the
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individual's term of supervision, then the individual shall be placed under quarterly administrative monitoring, as defined in Section 24-21-5, by the department until such time as those financial obligations are paid in full or a consent order of judgment is filed. If the individual under administrative monitoring fails to make reasonable progress toward the payment of such financial obligations, as determined by the department, the department may petition the court to hold an individual in civil contempt for failure to pay the financial obligations. The department shall provide written notice of the petition and any scheduled contempt hearing by depositing the notice in the United States mail with postage prepaid addressed to the person at the address contained in the records of the department. The giving of notice by mail is complete ten days after the deposit of the notice. A certificate by the director of the department or the director's designee that the notice has been sent as required in this section is presumptive proof that the requirements as to notice of petition and any scheduled contempt hearing have been met even if the notice has not been received by the offender. If the court finds the individual has the ability to pay but has not made reasonable progress toward payment, the court may hold the individual in civil contempt of court and may impose a term of confinement in the local detention center until payment of the financial obligations, but in no case to exceed ninety days of confinement. Following any term of confinement, the individual shall be returned to quarterly administrative monitoring by the department. If the individual under administrative monitoring does not have the ability to pay the financial obligations and has no reasonable likelihood of being able to pay in the future, the department may submit a consent order of judgment to the court, which shall relieve the individual of any further administrative monitoring.
Condition or extension of supervision All Yes
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. §22-3-800 Community service
Notwithstanding the limitations of Sections 17-25-100 and 24-21-410, after a conviction or plea for an offense within a magistrate's jurisdiction the magistrate at the time of sentence may suspend the
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imposition or execution of a sentence upon terms and conditions the magistrate considers appropriate, including imposing or suspending up to one hundred hours of community service, except where the amount of community service is established otherwise.
Community service All No
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. §24-21-100 Administrative monitoring when fines outstanding; fee.
(A) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 24-19-120, 24-21-440, 24-21-560(B), or 24-21-670, when an individual has not fulfilled the individual's obligations for payment of financial obligations by the end of the
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individual's term of supervision, then the individual shall be placed under quarterly administrative monitoring, as defined in Section 24-21-5, by the department until such time as those financial obligations are paid in full or a consent order of judgment is filed. If the individual under administrative monitoring fails to make reasonable progress toward the payment of such financial obligations, as determined by the department, the department may petition the court to hold an individual in civil contempt for failure to pay the financial obligations. The department shall provide written notice of the petition and any scheduled contempt hearing by depositing the notice in the United States mail with postage prepaid addressed to the person at the address contained in the records of the department. The giving of notice by mail is complete ten days after the deposit of the notice. A certificate by the director of the department or the director's designee that the notice has been sent as required in this section is presumptive proof that the requirements as to notice of petition and any scheduled contempt hearing have been met even if the notice has not been received by the offender. If the court finds the individual has the ability to pay but has not made reasonable progress toward payment, the court may hold the individual in civil contempt of court and may impose a term of confinement in the local detention center until payment of the financial obligations, but in no case to exceed ninety days of confinement. Following any term of confinement, the individual shall be returned to quarterly administrative monitoring by the department. If the individual under administrative monitoring does not have the ability to pay the financial obligations and has no reasonable likelihood of being able to pay in the future, the department may submit a consent order of judgment to the court, which shall relieve the individual of any further administrative monitoring.(B) An individual placed on administrative monitoring shall pay a regular monitoring fee toward offsetting the cost of his administrative monitoring for the period of time that he remains under monitoring. The regular monitoring fee must be determined by the department based upon the ability of the person to pay. The fee must not be more than ten dollars a month. All regular monitoring fees must be retained by the department, carried forward, and applied to the department's operation.
Condition or extension of supervision All Yes
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South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 24-21-480 Payment as condition of suspended sentence Failure to comply with program requirements may result in a request to the court to revoke the suspended sentence. Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 21-6604(j) Authorized dispositions; crimes committed on or after July 1, 1994
(f)(1) When a new felony is committed while the offender is incarcerated and serving a sentence for a felony, or while the offender is on probation, assignment to a community
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correctional services program, parole, conditional release or postrelease supervision for a felony, a new sentence shall be imposed consecutively pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A. 21-6606, and amendments thereto, and the court may sentence the offender to imprisonment for the new conviction, even when the new crime of conviction otherwise presumes a nonprison sentence. In this event, imposition of a prison sentence for the new crime does not constitute a departure.
Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Montana Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-201(3) Sentences that may be imposed
(a) Whenever a person has been found guilty of an offense upon a verdict of guilty or a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, a sentencing judge may impose a
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sentence that may include: (i) a fine as provided by law for the offense; (ii) payment of costs, as provided in 46-18-232, or payment of costs of assigned counsel as provided in 46-8-113... (b) A court may permit a part or all of a fine to be satisfied by a donation of food to a food bank program.
Community service All No
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New York N.Y. Crim. Proc. Law § 420.10(1)(c) Payment as condition of probation
Where the defendant is sentenced to a period of probation as well as a fine, restitution or reparation and such designated surcharge, the court may direct the payment of the
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fine, restitution or reparation and such designated surcharge be a condition of the sentence
Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Utah Utah Code Ann. § 76-3-201.1 Collection of criminal judgments--compulsory service
When a defendant defaults in the payment of a criminal judgment account receivable or any installment of that receivable, the court, on motion of the prosecution, victim, or upon its
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own motion may: (a) order the defendant to appear and show cause why the default should not be treated as contempt of court; or (b) issue a warrant of arrest... (5) If it appears to the satisfaction of the court that the default is not contempt, the court may enter an order for any of the following or any combination of the following...(f) except as limited by Subsection (6) [restitution], convert the criminal judgment account receivable or any part of it to compensatory service
Community service All No
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Utah Utah Code Ann. § 76-3-201.1 Collection of criminal judgments--extend probation
When a defendant defaults in the payment of a criminal judgment account receivable or any installment of that receivable, the court, on motion of the prosecution, victim, or upon its
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own motion may: (a) order the defendant to appear and show cause why the default should not be treated as contempt of court; or (b) issue a warrant of arrest... (5) If it appears to the satisfaction of the court that the default is not contempt, the court may enter an order for any of the following or any combination of the following...start the period of probation anew
Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Arizona Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-808(B) Time and method of payment of fines; conditions of probation; no limitation on restitution and other assessments

If a defendant sentenced to pay a fine, restitution, penalty, assessment, incarceration cost or surcharge is also sentenced to probation, the court shall make payment of the fine, restitution, penalty,

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assessment, incarceration cost or surcharge a condition of probation.

Condition or extension of supervision All Yes
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Arizona Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-810(D)(2) Consequences of nonpayment of fines, surcharges, fees, assessments, restitution or incarceration costs

D. If the court finds that the defendant has willfully failed to pay fine, a surcharge, fee, an assessment, restitution or incarceration costs or finds that the defendant has intentionally refused to make

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a good faith effort to obtain the  monies required for the payment, the court shall find that the default constitutes contempt and may do any of the  following: 2. Refer the defendant for revocation of probation, parole or community supervision and as authorized by law.

Condition or extension of supervision All No
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Arizona Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-810(D)(4) Consequences of nonpayment of fines, surcharges, fees, assessments, restitution or incarceration costs

If the court finds that the defendant has wilfully failed to pay a fine, a fee, restitution or incarceration costs or finds that the defendant has intentionally refused to make

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a good faith effort to obtain the monies required for the payment, the court shall find that the default constitutes contempt and may do one of the following:4. Order the defendant to perform community restitution

Community service All No
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Arkansas Ark. Code Ann. § 16-98-304(b) Cost and Fees

(b)(1) The drug court judge shall establish a schedule for the payment of costs and fees. . .

(7) Court orders for costs and fees shall remain an obligation of the

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offender with court monitoring until fully paid

Condition or extension of supervision All Yes
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Colorado Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-1.3-702(3)(b) Monetary Payments - Due Process Required

Except in the case of a corporation, if the defendant failed to pay a monetary amount due and the record indicates that the defendant has willfully failed to pay that

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monetary amount, the court, when appropriate, may consider a motion to impose part or all of a suspended sentence, may consider a motion to revoke probation, or may institute proceedings for contempt of court.

Condition or extension of supervision All No