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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Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 8-1567 Driving a commercial motor vehicle under the influence; penalties
In lieu of payment of a fine imposed pursuant to this section, the court may order that the person perform community service specified by the court. The person shall receive
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a credit on the fine imposed in an amount equal to $5 for each full hour spent by the person in the specified community service. The community service ordered by the court shall be required to be performed not later than one year after the fine is imposed or by an earlier date specified by the court. If by the required date the person performs an insufficient amount of community service to reduce to zero the portion of the fine required to be paid by the person, the remaining balance of the fine shall become due on that date.
Community service All No
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Tennessee Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-50-507 Community Service Work
By a majority vote of the applicable local legislative body, any county or city may, by resolution or ordinance, establish a program that allows any person who is indigent and
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who has been convicted of driving while the person's license is cancelled, suspended, or revoked in violation of § 55-50-504(a) to complete community service work in lieu of paying the fines and other costs imposed for the conviction. The community service program shall be administered and monitored by the appropriate entity that administers court-ordered community service within the applicable jurisdiction.
Community service All No
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Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.4803 Failure to pay as subject to late penalty
A person who fails to pay a penalty, fee, or costs in full within 56 days after that amount is due and owing is subject to a late penalty equal
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to 20% of the amount owed. The court shall inform a person subject to a penalty, fee, or costs that the late penalty will be applied to any amount that continues to be unpaid 56 days after the amount is due and owing. . . . A late penalty may be waived by the court upon the request of the person subject to the late penalty.
Collection fee/interest All No
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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
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of 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.
Collection fee/interest 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
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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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New Jersey N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2B:12-23 Community Service
a. A person, sentenced by a municipal court to pay a fine, who defaults in payment may be ordered to perform community service in lieu of incarceration or other modification
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of the sentence with the person's consent. b. The county or municipal official in charge of the community service program shall report to the municipal court any failure of a person subject to a court work order to report for work or to perform the assigned work. Upon receipt of the report, the court may revoke its community service order and impose any sentence consistent with the original sentence.
Community service All No
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New Jersey N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:46-2 Consequences of Nonpayment
When a defendant sentenced to make restitution to a public entity other than the Victims of Crime Compensation Office, defaults in the payment thereof or any installment, the court may, in lieu of
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other modification of the sentence, order the defendant to perform work in a labor assistance program or enforced community service program.
Community service All No
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Virginia Va. Code Ann. § 19.2-354(A) Fee to cover cost of managing installment plan
If the defendant is unable to make payment within 30 days of sentencing, the court may assess a one-time fee not to exceed $10 to cover the costs of management
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of the defendant's account until such account is paid in full. This one-time fee shall not apply to cases in which costs are assessed pursuant to § 17.1-275.1, 17.1-275.2, 17.1-275.3, 17.1-275.4, 17.1-275.7, 17.1-275.8, or 17.1-275.9.
Collection fee/interest 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. § 19.2-353.3 Increased Fine for Bounced check/declined card
If a check is returned unpaid by the financial institution on which it is drawn or notice is received from the credit or debit card issuer that payment will not
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be made, for any reason, the fees, fine, restitution, forfeiture, penalty or costs shall be treated as unpaid, and the court may pursue all available remedies to obtain payment. The clerk of the court to whom the dishonored check or credit or debit card was tendered may impose a fee of $50 or 10 percent of the value of the payment, whichever is greater, in addition to the fine and costs already imposed.
Collection fee/interest All No
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Virginia Va. Code Ann. § 17.1-275(A)(27) Fees collected by clerks of circuit courts; generally- Credit Card convenience fee
27. For the acceptance of credit or debit cards in lieu of money to collect and secure all fees, including filing fees, fines, restitution, forfeiture, penalties and costs, the clerk
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shall collect from the person presenting such credit or debit card a reasonable convenience fee for the processing of such credit or debit card. Such convenience fee shall not exceed four percent of the amount paid for the transaction or a flat fee of $2 per transaction. The clerk may set a lower convenience fee for electronic filing of civil or criminal proceedings pursuant to § 17.1-258.3. Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the clerk from outsourcing the processing of credit and debit card transactions to a third-party private vendor engaged by the clerk. Convenience fees shall be used to cover operational expenses as defined in § 17.1-295.
Collection fee/interest All Yes
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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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New Jersey N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:158A-19 Public Defender: Collections of Moneys Due
The Public Defender in the name of the State shall do all things necessary and proper to collect all moneys due to the State by way of reimbursement for services
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rendered pursuant to this act. He may enter into arrangements with one or more agencies of the State, including the comprehensive enforcement program established pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1995, c. 9 (C.2B:19-1 et seq.) or of the counties to handle said collections on a cost basis to the extent that such arrangements are calculated to simplify collection procedures. He shall have all the remedies and may take all of the proceedings for the collection thereof which may be had or taken for or upon the recovery of a judgment in a civil action and may institute and maintain any action or proceeding in the courts necessary therefor. In any such proceedings or action, the defendant may contest the value of the service rendered by the Public Defender.
Collection fee/interest All Yes
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Virginia Va. Code Ann. § 18.2-266.1(B) Community service
B. A violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor. Punishment shall include (i) forfeiture of such person's license to operate a motor vehicle for a period of one
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year from the date of conviction and (ii) a mandatory minimum fine of $500 or performance of a mandatory minimum of 50 hours of community service.
Community service Misdemeanor Yes
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Nevada Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. §176.0635 Administrative assessment, fine or fee for felony or gross misdemeanor: Additional costs and fees for collection.
1.  A defendant who pleads guilty or guilty but mentally ill or is found guilty or guilty but mentally ill who owes a fine, administrative assessment or fee, pursuant to NRS
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176.0625, must be assessed by and pay to the county treasurer or other office assigned by the county to make collections the following costs and fees if the county treasurer or other office assigned by the county to make collections is successful in collecting the fine, administrative assessment or fee: (a) The costs and fees actually incurred in collecting the fine, administrative assessment or fee; and (b) A fee payable to the county treasurer in the amount of 2 percent of the amount of the fine, administrative assessment or fee assigned to the county treasurer or other office assigned by the county to make collections. 2.  The total amount of the costs and fees required to be collected pursuant to subsection 1 must not exceed 35 percent of the amount of the fine, administrative assessment or fee or $50,000, whichever is less.
Collection fee/interest Felony Yes
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Nevada Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. §176.064 (1) 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.
1.  If a fine, administrative assessment, fee or restitution is imposed upon a defendant pursuant to this chapter, whether or not the fine, administrative assessment, fee or restitution is in addition
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to any other punishment, and the fine, administrative assessment, fee or restitution or any part of it remains unpaid after the time established by the court for its payment, the defendant is liable for a collection fee, to be imposed by the court at the time it finds that the fine, administrative assessment, fee or restitution is delinquent, of: (a) Not more than $100, if the amount of the delinquency is less than $2,000. (b) Not more than $500, if the amount of the delinquency is $2,000 or greater, but is less than $5,000. (c) Ten percent of the amount of the delinquency, if the amount of the delinquency is $5,000 or greater.
Collection fee/interest All No
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Louisiana CCRP 895.5.A Restitution Recovery Division
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, each district attorney may establish a special division in the office designated as the "restitution recovery division" for the administration, collection,
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and enforcement of victim restitution, victim compensation assessments, probation fees, and payments in civil or criminal proceedings ordered by the court and payable to the state or to crime victims, judgments entered which have not been otherwise vacated, or judicial relief given from the operation of the order or judgment.
Collection fee/interest All No
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Louisiana CCRP 886.A Civil Process, offset of tax refund
In the event of nonpayment of a fine, nonpayment of restitution to the victim, or nonpayment of a fine and costs, within sixty days after the sentence was imposed, and
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if no appeal is pending, the court which imposed the sentence may sign a judgment against the defendant in a sum equal to the fine or restitution plus judicial interest to begin sixty days after the sentence was imposed plus all costs of the criminal proceeding and subsequent proceedings necessary to enforce the judgment in either civil or criminal court, or both. Collection of the judgment may be enforced in either criminal or civil court, or both, in the same manner as a money judgment in a civil case. In addition, particular courts may provide by court rule for enforcement by the filing of an offset claim against the defendant, in accordance with R.S. 47:299.1 through 299.20.
Collection fee/interest All No
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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. § 16-11-700(C)(3) Public service in lieu of payment
(3) The court, instead of payment of the monetary fine imposed for a violation of this section, may direct the substitution of additional litter-gathering labor or other form of public
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service, under the supervision of the court, as it may order because of physical or other incapacities not to exceed one hour for each five dollars of fine imposed.
Community service Misdemeanor No