NCJ Number
95251
Date Published
1984
Length
103 pages
Annotation
This hearing transcript focuses on the problem of enforcing judgments that include fines.
Abstract
James Knapp, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, stated that there are more than 21,000 cases in which fines have not been fully paid, for an outstanding balance of $131 million. Knapp emphasized that criminal fines must be enforced in the same manner as money judgments in civil cases, and that legislative changes are necessary to improve the manner in which fines are imposed and collected. Knapp noted that such legislative improvements are incorporated in the sentencing title of the President's Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1983. Senator Charles Percy expressed his belief that fines will not be collected until legislators and others begin to view fines as seriously as they view prison sentences. In addition, Percy noted that improvements in the fine collection process would reinforce the very positive steps that Congress has taken toward restitution and victim compensation. Congresswoman Lynn Martin discussed H.R. 4162, which makes the nonpayment of a fine a criminal offense. In addition, that bill gives judges the authority to place liens on property and sets a 2-year limit on installment payments. Federal judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat outlined his idea of an ideal model for sentencing and fines. Correspondence related to the issue of fines is appended. Six tables and one graph are included.