What Happens If a Prisoner Does Not Pay Court Fees ?

A court may order an inmate who has filed a claim to pay court fees, court costs, and other costs in an amount equal to the lesser of either: (1) twenty percent of the preceding six months' deposits to the inmate's trust account; or (2) the total amount of court fees and costs. See TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE ANN. 14.006(a), (b) (Vernon 2002). In Thomas v. Skinner, 54 S.W.3d 845, 846-47 (Tex. App.-Corpus Christi 2001, pet. denied), the court of appeals held that the trial court's order assessing costs, which contained the verbatim language as the instant order, did not constitute an abuse of discretion. See Thomas, 54 S.W.3d at 847.