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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Texas Tex. Loc. Gov't Code § 133.103(a) Time Payment fee

A person convicted of an offense shall pay, in addition to all other costs, a fee of $25 if the person:(1) has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor; and

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(2) pays any part of a fine, court costs, or restitution on or after the 31st day after the date on which a judgment is entered assessing the fine, court costs, or restitution.

Increased fine All Yes
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Texas Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 102.072 Administrative Fee

An officer listed in Article 103.003 or a community supervision and corrections department may assess an administrative fee for each transaction made by the officer or department relating to the

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collection of fines, fees, restitution, or other costs imposed by a court.  The fee may not exceed $2 for each transaction.  

Increased fine All No
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Texas Tex. Gov't Code Sec. 21.002(a)-(c) Contempt of Court

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (g), a court may punish for contempt.

(b) The punishment for contempt of a court other than a justice court or municipal court is a fine of

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not more than $500 or confinement in the county jail for not more than six months, or both such a fine and confinement in jail.

(c) The punishment for contempt of a justice court or municipal court is a fine of not more than $100 or confinement in the county or city jail for not more than three days, or both such a fine and confinement in jail.

Incarceration, Increased fine All No
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Oregon Or. Rev. Stat. § 137.540(12)(a) Conditions of probation; evaluation and treatment; fees; effect of failure to abide by conditions; modification

(12)(a) If the court determines that a defendant has violated the terms of probation, the court shall collect a $25 fee from the defendant and may impose a fee for

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the costs of extraditing the defendant to this state for the probation violation proceeding if the defendant left the state in violation of the conditions of the defendant’s probation. The fees imposed under this subsection become part of the judgment and may be collected in the same manner as a fine.

Increased fine All No
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Vermont Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 13 § 7180(4)(b) Remedies for failure to pay fines, costs, surcharges, and penalties

(4)  Contempt. (A) The court may conclude that the defendant is in contempt if the court finds that: (i) the defendant knew or reasonably should have known that he or she

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owed the amount due; (ii) the defendant had the ability to pay all or any portion of the amount due; and (iii) the defendant failed to pay all or any portion of the amount due.

(B) If the court concludes that the defendant is in contempt, the court may: (i) Order payment of the amount due on a specific date. (ii) Assess an additional penalty not to exceed ten percent of the amount due. (iii) Direct that the matter be reported to one or more designated credit bureaus. The Court Administrator or the Court Administrator's designee is authorized to contract with one or more credit bureaus for the purpose of reporting information about unpaid Judicial Bureau judgments. (iv)  Refer to Small Claims Court for the purpose of issuing writs of attachment for property and trustee process pursuant to 12 V.S.A. § 5534. Filing fees shall be waived in such cases. (v) Sentence the defendant to serve a term of imprisonment on furlough to participate in a program supervised by the Department of Corrections pursuant to 28 V.S.A. § 808(a) that provides reparation to the community in the form of supervised work activities. For each day the defendant participates in supervised work activities, the defendant shall be given credit against the amount owed at the hourly rate for minimum wage. A defendant who is determined by the Department of Corrections to be ineligible for the preapproved furlough supervised work program may be ordered by the court to serve a sentence in a correctional facility, in which event the defendant shall be given credit against the amount owed for every day served at a rate determined by the court.

Incarceration, Increased fine, Property liens, Work program/jail industry program All No
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Vermont Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 4 § 1109 Remedies for failure to pay; contempt

(b)  Late fees; suspensions for nonpayment of certain traffic violation judgments.

(1)  A Judicial Bureau judgment shall provide notice that a $ 30.00 fee shall be assessed for failure to pay within 30

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days. If the defendant fails to pay the amount due within 30 days, the fee shall be added to the judgment amount and deposited in the Court Technology Special Fund established pursuant to section 27 of this title.

(2) (A) In the case of a judgment on a traffic violation for which the imposition of points against the person's driving record is authorized by law, the judgment shall contain a notice that failure to pay or otherwise satisfy the amount due within 30 days of the notice will result in suspension of the person's operator's license or privilege to operate, and that payment plan options are available. If the defendant fails to pay the amount due within 30 days of the notice, or by a later date as determined by a Judicial Bureau clerk or hearing officer, and the case is not pending on appeal, the Judicial Bureau shall provide electronic notice thereof to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. After 20 days from the date of receiving the electronic notice, the Commissioner shall suspend the person's operator's license or privilege to operate for a period of 30 days or until the amount due is satisfied, whichever is earlier. (B) At minimum, the Judicial Bureau shall offer a payment plan option that allows a person to avoid a suspension of his or her license or privilege to operate by paying no more than $ 30.00 per traffic violation judgment per month, and not to exceed $ 100.00 per month if the person has four or more outstanding judgments.

(B) In the contempt order, the hearing officer may do one or more of the following: (i) Set a date by which the defendant shall pay the amount due. (ii) Assess an additional penalty not to exceed ten percent of the amount due; . . .  (iv)  Recommend that the Criminal Division of the Superior Court incarcerate the defendant until the amount due is paid. If incarceration is recommended pursuant to this subdivision (c)(5), the Judicial Bureau shall notify the Criminal Division of the Superior Court that contempt proceedings should be commenced against the defendant. The Criminal Division of the Superior Court proceedings shall be de novo. If the defendant cannot afford counsel for the contempt proceedings in the Criminal Division of the Superior Court, the Defender General shall assign counsel at the Defender General's expense.

Driver's license suspension/impoundment, Incarceration, Increased fine Traffic No
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Washington Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 7.68.035(3) PenPenalty assessments in addition to fine or bail forfeiture — Distribution — Establishment of crime victim and witness programs in county — Contribution required from cities and towns

When any person accused of having committed a crime posts bail in superior court pursuant to the provisions of chapter 10.19 RCW and such bail is forfeited, there shall be

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deducted from the proceeds of such forfeited bail a penalty assessment, in addition to any other penalty or fine imposed by law, equal to the assessment which would be applicable under subsection (1) of this section if the person had been convicted of the crime.

Increased fine All Yes
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Washington Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 9.95.210(2)-(3),(5) Conditions of probation

(2) In the order granting probation and as a condition thereof, the superior court may in its discretion imprison the defendant in the county jail for a period not exceeding one

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year and may fine the defendant any sum not exceeding the statutory limit for the offense committed, and court costs. As a condition of probation, the superior court shall require the payment of the penalty assessment required by RCW 7.68.035. The superior court may also require the defendant to make such monetary payments, on such terms as it deems appropriate under the circumstances, as are necessary: (a) To comply with any order of the court for the payment of family support; (b) to make restitution to any person or persons who may have suffered loss or damage by reason of the commission of the crime in question or when the offender pleads guilty to a lesser offense or fewer offenses and agrees with the prosecutor’s recommendation that the offender be required to pay restitution to a victim of an offense or offenses which are not prosecuted pursuant to a plea agreement; (c) to pay such fine as may be imposed and court costs, including reimbursement of the state for costs of extradition if return to this state by extradition was required; (d) following consideration of the financial condition of the person subject to possible electronic monitoring, to pay for the costs of electronic monitoring if that monitoring was required by the court as a condition of release from custody or as a condition of probation; (e) to contribute to a county or interlocal drug fund; and (f) to make restitution to a public agency for the costs of an emergency response under RCW 38.52.430, and may require bonds for the faithful observance of any and all conditions imposed in the probation.

(3) The superior court shall order restitution in all cases where the victim is entitled to benefits under the crime victims’ compensation act, chapter 7.68 RCW. If the superior court does not order restitution and the victim of the crime has been determined to be entitled to benefits under the crime victims’ compensation act, the department of labor and industries, as administrator of the crime victims’ compensation program, may petition the superior court within one year of imposition of the sentence for entry of a restitution order. Upon receipt of a petition from the department of labor and industries, the superior court shall hold a restitution hearing and shall enter a restitution order.

(5) If the probationer has been ordered to make restitution and the superior court has ordered supervision, the officer supervising the probationer shall make a reasonable effort to ascertain whether restitution has been made. If the superior court has ordered supervision and restitution has not been made as ordered, the officer shall inform the prosecutor of that violation of the terms of probation not less than three months prior to the termination of the probation period. The secretary of corrections will promulgate rules and regulations for the conduct of the person during the term of probation. For defendants found guilty in district court, like functions as the secretary performs in regard to probation may be performed by probation officers employed for that purpose by the county legislative authority of the county wherein the court is located.

Condition or extension of supervision, Increased fine All No