§3614 — Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure | U.S. Code

Summary

A court can give a new sentence to someone who knowingly fails to pay an overdue fine or restitution to any original sentence it could have imposed. The court may send the person to jail only if they refused or made no real effort to pay, or if other punishments won't work. Being too poor cannot justify jailing.

Title 18, §3614

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Subject to the provisions of subsection (b), if a defendant knowingly fails to pay a delinquent fine or restitution the court may resentence the defendant to any sentence which might originally have been imposed.

(b)The defendant may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment under subsection (a) only if the court determines that—

(1)the defendant willfully refused to pay the delinquent fine or had failed to make sufficient bona fide efforts to pay the fine; or

(2)in light of the nature of the offense and the characteristics of the person, alternatives to imprisonment are not adequate to serve the purposes of punishment and deterrence.

(c)In no event shall a defendant be incarcerated under this section solely on the basis of inability to make payments because the defendant is indigent.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

For a prior section 3614, applicable to offenses committed prior to Nov. 1, 1987, see note set out preceding section 3601 of this title.

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–232, § 207(c)(5)(A), inserted “or restitution” after “fine” in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–232, § 207(c)(5)(B), inserted “or restitution” after “fine”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–232, § 207(c)(5)(C), added subsec. (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1996 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 104–132 to be effective, to extent constitutionally permissible, for sentencing proceedings in cases in which defendant is convicted on or after Apr. 24, 1996, see section 211 of Pub. L. 104–132, set out as a note under section 2248 of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective Nov. 1, 1987, and applicable only to offenses committed after the taking effect of this section, see section 235(a)(1) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as a note under section 3551 of this title.

§3614 Resentencing Upon Failure to Pay a Fine or Restitution

Summary

Title 18, §3614

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata