To end uncertainty in the collection of victim restitution from convicted offenders that resulted from public safety realignment, Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed a bill by Senator Fran Pavley that will both ensure restitution is collected from the accounts of county jail inmates and that funds aren’t double-collected from individuals on Post-Release Community Supervision.
The California Constitution guarantees the right of crime victims to secure restitution from those who have harmed them, and states that all money collected from those offenders shall first be applied to restitution payments.
Since 2012, the Legislature has authorized the collection of restitution from the accounts of county jail inmates who prior to realignment would have served their sentences in state prison. But confusion over the timing of state-authorized administrative fees collected from inmates by county sheriffs has resulted in ineffective collection of restitution in some counties.
SB 1054 resolves the confusion by clearly stating that counties can collect administrative fees at the same time restitution is collected.
“It is wrong when victims don’t receive restitution as a result of confusion over the timing of collections, and it is wrong when double-collection threatens the successful re-entry into society of individuals who have been released from custody and are under community supervision,” said Senator Pavley.
The bill was sponsored by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and was supported by a broad range of criminal justice organizations, including the California District Attorneys Association, the California Public Defenders Association, the California State Sheriffs Association and the Chief Probation Officers Association of California.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.