Restitution: collection by counties.

Existing law requires that restitution fines and fees be imposed upon a person convicted of crime. Under existing law, when a person is committed to an institution under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the court has ordered restitution, the probation officer or the district attorney, with the consent of the victim, is authorized to send the victim's contact information and a copy of the restitution order to the department for the sole purpose of distributing the restitution collected on behalf of the victim. This bill, when a person who has been ordered to pay restitution is committed to a county jail or placed on postrelease community supervision or mandatory supervision, would authorize the probation officer or district attorney to provide the victim's contact information and a copy of the restitution order, with the victim's consent, to the county agency designated by the board of supervisors to collect and distribute restitution for the sole purpose of distributing the restitution collected on behalf of the victim. Existing law makes any portion of a restitution fine or restitution fee that remains unsatisfied after a defendant is no longer on probation, parole, postrelease community supervision or mandatory supervision, or completed diversion, enforceable by the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board, as specified. Existing law requires the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to collect restitution fines and fees from inmates and authorizes the collection of those fines and fees from inmates in county jails by an agency designated by the county board of supervisors. Existing law authorizes the secretary, the local agency designated by the county board of supervisors, or, under specified circumstances, a local collection program to collect restitution fines and fees from parolees. Existing law authorizes the secretary and the local agency to deduct and retain administrative fees for fines collected from parolees. This bill would authorize the collection of restitution fines or restitution orders, in a manner to be established by the county board of supervisors, by the department or county agency designated by the board from a person who has been released from a state prison or county jail and is subject to postrelease community supervision or mandatory supervision, as specified. The bill would authorize a county board of supervisors to impose a fee upon the individual subject to postrelease community supervision or mandatory supervision to cover the actual administrative cost of collecting the restitution fine and the restitution order, not to exceed 10% of the amount collected, to be deposited in the county's general fund. The bill would require a county that elects to collect restitution fines and restitution orders pursuant to these provisions to coordinate efforts with the Franchise Tax Board, as specified. Existing law requires that persons released from prison be subject either to parole for a specified period of time or to postrelease community supervision for a period not exceeding 3 years. Existing law specifies the conditions of postrelease community supervision. This bill would require, as a condition of postrelease community supervision, that the person pay court-ordered restitution and restitution fines in the same manner as a person placed on probation. This bill would, contingent upon the enactment of SB 419 of the 2013–14 Regular Session, incorporate additional conforming changes.