Restitution
Restitution is a court-ordered payment that an incarcerated person must make to their victim or victims to compensate for harm caused by their crime. Restitution obligations continue during and after incarceration. Correctional facilities deduct a percentage of inmate earnings and sometimes of deposits to apply toward restitution. Outstanding restitution can affect parole eligibility and release conditions.
What Is Restitution?
When a court orders restitution, the incarcerated person is legally required to pay the amount regardless of their financial situation. During incarceration, facilities typically deduct 25 percent or more of the inmate's earnings toward restitution obligations.
Families sending money to an incarcerated loved one should be aware that some of those funds may be automatically applied to restitution, reducing the amount available for commissary. The case manager can provide information about the specific restitution deduction schedule at that facility.
Related Terms
Explore other glossary terms that are closely connected to this topic.
Hold
A hold in the correctional finance context refers to a restriction placed on an inmate's trust account funds. Holds can be placed for several reasons including outstanding court costs, restitution obligations, medical co-pay debts, or facility-specific fines. When a hold is placed, incoming deposits may be partially or fully applied to the hold before the inmate can access the funds for commissary or other expenses.
FinanceInmate Trust Account
An inmate trust account is the financial account maintained by the correctional facility on behalf of each incarcerated person.
AdministrationParole
Parole is a form of early release from prison that allows a person to serve the remainder of their sentence under supervision in the community rather than in a facility.
AdministrationCase Manager
A case manager is a correctional staff member assigned to each inmate who is responsible for managing their programming, classification, correspondence, and release planning.
People Also Ask
Related questions families often search for alongside this topic.
What is Hold?
A hold in the correctional finance context refers to a restriction placed on an inmate's trust account funds. Holds can be placed for several reasons including outstanding court costs, restitution obligations, medical co-pay debts, or facility-specific fines. When a hold is placed, incoming deposits may be partially or fully applied to the hold before the inmate can access the funds for commissary or other expenses.
Read full definitionWhat is Inmate Trust Account?
An inmate trust account is the financial account maintained by the correctional facility on behalf of each incarcerated person.
Read full definitionWhat is Parole?
Parole is a form of early release from prison that allows a person to serve the remainder of their sentence under supervision in the community rather than in a facility.
Read full definitionWhat is Case Manager?
A case manager is a correctional staff member assigned to each inmate who is responsible for managing their programming, classification, correspondence, and release planning.
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