Victim and Restitution? How does it work?

[ilovefh]

Over the winter our house was broken into along with many others in the neighborhood. The two guys who did it were just sentenced. As part of their sentence they were ordered to pay restitution. The total is around $85,000 plus 17% administrative costs with $9,000 being paid to us. How does this work? How likely is it that we will ever see a cent? I just can't imagine two drug addicted losers in jail having any way to pay restitution. My DH suggested maybe they'll earn money working in the prison that will be sent to the victims?

 

[kellyg403]

I don't know how it will work in your case or your state, but..my dh was a victim of credit card theft in 1999. The girl took cash advances on several cc she had signed up for in his name and intercepted at his mailbox for a total of about 21 k. To make a long story very short, she was given a jail sentence. After serving so much of it she was given parole/probation (not sure which) as part of her release, she had to pay the court so much on a certain date each month. After the court received the money they sent to dh. It was a condition of her release that she pay it. If she didn't she went back to jail for so long etc.

While she was in jail, he got nothing. It was only once she was conditionally released.
Kelly

 

[golfgal]

My guess is you will get a little bit over time-probably garnishing wages along the way but realistically, you probably won't see anything.

 

[ilovefh]

My guess is you will get a little bit over time-probably garnishing wages along the way but realistically, you probably won't see anything.

That's what I was thinking. Let's be totally honest, this man has never held a legitimate job and unless some miracle happens in prison he probably won't hold one after. This doesn't leave an option for wage garnishment! And I'm really not just stereotyping, he is my neighbor's son so we know him very well! We have since moved but we lived on the lake and as a kid he would go around and knife all the floats the people had in their yard for their boats.

 

[Keli]

We owned a store that was burglarized years ago and the thieves were ordered to pay restitution. We have never received one red cent. The guys were long ago released from prison.