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145 Alabama: See Telephone Interview with Veronica Harris, Macon County Circuit Court (Dec. 8, 2009) (arrest
warrants issue both for the failure to appear at debt-related show cause hearings for the failure to pay when
individuals are on probation). But see Telephone Interview with Robert Oakes, Assistant Exec. Dir., Ala. Bd.
of Pardons and Parole (Nov. 2, 2009) (arrests for non-payment do not happen often in practice). Arizona: See
Telephone Interview with Jessica Alonso, Collections Officer, Prob. Dep’t, Greenlee County (Nov. 11, 2009)
(if a person is 60-90 days behind on payments, the probation officer will usually have the person arrested and
brought before the court on the threat of probation revocation, although actual revocation is very rare); Telephone
Interview with Dusty Alder, Senior Deputy Probation Officer, Mojave County (Nov. 18, 2009) (individuals who
miss payments are required to fulfill alternative requirements, such as attending a budget training, and failure to
fulfill these requirements can lead to arrest for probation violation). California: See Telephone Interview with Phil
Dube, Assistant Pub. Defender, L.A. County Pub. Defender (Nov. 17, 2009). (individuals face arrest for failing
to appear at a scheduled check-in meeting regarding their criminal justice debt); Superior Court of California,
General Information, http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/criminal/ (noting that, in Los Angeles County, “[i]f you fail
to pay a fine as promised/ordered, the Court may order and issue a warrant for your arrest.”); Telephone Interview
with Jessica, Court Manager, L.A. Criminal Court (Oct. 29, 2009) (last name withheld on request) (confirming
that arrest warrants are used for failures to pay fines but noting that warrants are rarely used in the case of fees);
Payment of Fines, Santa Clara County Superior Court, http://www.scselfservice.org/crim/payment.htm (“If you
don’t pay your fine on time, the Court can put out a warrant for your arrest or proceed by Civil Assessment. If you
need more time to pay, contact the Department of Revenue.”). Florida: See R D, B C.
J, T H C F’ C J F , (Mar. 2010), available at http://www.
brennancenter.org/content/resource/FL_Fees_report/ (finding that in counties with collections courts, a failure to
appear for a payment hearing will typically result in an arrest warrant being issued, and that in Alachua County,
in some circumstances arrest warrants issue automatically for failures to pay). Georgia: See Telephone Interview
with Nick White, Defender, Houston County Pub. Defender Office (Nov. 6, 2009) (individuals who cannot pay
criminal justice debt are often arrested for failing to report to probation officers, who are involved in collection).
Illinois: See Telephone Interview with Margaret Degen, Assistant Pub. Defender, Jackson County (Oct. 29, 2009)
(failure to appear at a payment hearing can result in an arrest warrant being issued). Louisiana: See infra notes
158-159 and accompanying text (discussing data on arrest warrants in New Orleans). Michigan: See Telephone
Interview with Paula Taylor, Fin. Dir., 17th Circuit Court, Kent County, Mich. (Dec. 21, 2009) (if a defendant
fails to comply with the payment plan set up at a show cause hearing (which was the result of previous failure to
pay), a bench warrant issues); Telephone Interview with Sheila Blakney, Senior Assistant Pub. Defender, Washtenaw
County Pub. Defender’s Office (Dec. 15, 2009) (individuals are arrested if they fall behind on payments and fail to
appear at a show-cause hearing). Missouri: Email, Cathy Kelly, Deputy Director, Director’s Office, Missouri Public
Defender, St. Louis (Jan. 14, 2010) (individuals can be arrested and held in jail for a night for a failure to pay costs).
New York: See Telephone Interview with Jay L. Wilber, Defender, Broome County (Dec. 1, 2009) (arrests warrants
are issued for failure to pay and failure to pay can sometimes result in jail time). North Carolina: See Telephone
Interview with Jennifer Harjo, Defender, New Hanover County (Nov. 24, 2009) (warrants are issued for failures to
appear at a show cause hearing). Ohio: See Telephone Interview with Miguel Santiago, Defender (Nov. 23, 2009)
(practices vary across counties, but in general, it is common for people to be arrested for failing to pay fines and
costs); Telephone Interview with Glen Dewar, Defender, Montgomery County (Nov. 25, 2009) (arrest warrants
issue for failures to appear at payment hearings). Pennsylvania: See E-mail from David Crowley, Defender, Centre
County, Pa. (Nov. 30, 2009) (Magisterial District Courts automatically issue arrest warrants for missed payments if
a person is 31 days delinquent); E-mail from Nicole Spring, Defender, Lycoming County, Pa. (Dec. 1, 2009) (bench
warrants are issued for failure to appear at a payment hearing). Texas: See C R ., C
S G’ J C., A F I H F, F, R, C S
A C P C C (), available at http://www.courts.state.
tx.us/oca/debts/pdf/TexasFinancialObligationsInterimReport.pdf (a “capias pro fine” may be issued for a person’s
arrest if he or she fails to pay criminal justice debt, and in Collection Improvement Program districts, arrests are
sometimes used in misdemeanor cases but seldom used in cases where an individual is on parole). Virginia: See
Telephone Interview with Renee Howard, Deputy Clerk, Lee Circuit Court, Virginia (Jan. 5 2010) (A defendant is
sent a notice to appear at a show cause hearing for failure to pay, and a capias arrest warrant issues if the defendant
fails to appear).
146 See, e.g., E-mail from David Crowley, Defender, Centre County, Pa. (Nov. 30, 2009) (Magisterial District Courts
automatically issue arrest warrants for missed payments if a person is 31 days delinquent).