Restitution Payments

Restitution payments are paid by perpetrators of a crime to their victims(s), if they have suffered financial losses due to their criminal conduct. Judges often order restitution be paid in cases where victims suffered some kind of financial setback as the result of a crime.

Restitution payments are an attempt to make the victims whole and restore them financially to the condition they were at before the crime was committed. The losses that might be eligible for restitution, include stolen cash or property, medical bills, car repair bills, counseling and funeral expenses.

In the United States, the law requires the judge to order defendants to pay the entire amount of the victim’s expenses. The order cannot be waived or negotiated, if the defendant does not have the ability to pay. Restitution is a life-long debt and the court will dictate a repayment schedule – which may not begin until after the defendant has been released from prison, if jail time is also served. Restitution cannot be discharged by filing bankruptcy. And the victim can enforce the restitution order as if it were a civil judgment.