A contemnor who continues to violate a court order may even be incarcerated. It is increasingly agreed that bankruptcy judges may order the United States Marshal to take contemnors into custody and even to incarcerate them until they purge themselves of contempt. In addition to civil contempt, bankruptcy courts sometimes avail themselves of other similar remedies. P. 9011, which is nearly identical to Fed. The power of a bankruptcy court to find a party in criminal contempt of court remains unsettled.
Criminal contempt differs from civil contempt in numerous material respects.
The key distinction between civil and criminal contempt is that contemnors are punished by criminal contempt sanctions. Once criminal contempt has been committed, the defendant cannot terminate the sanction by purging herself of the contempt. Contempt of court is a crime under 18 U.S.C. 401. Unlike in civil contempt, a criminal contempt conviction will be upheld even if the underlying order is later invalidated. The rationale for this principle is that criminal contempt vindicates the authority of the court.