Note
Part heading amended by L 1998, c 269, §3; L 2000, c 205, §5.
§706-642 Time and method of payment. (1) When a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine, the court may grant permission for the payment to be made within a specified period of time or in specified installments. If no such permission is embodied in the sentence, the fine shall be payable forthwith by cash, check, or by a credit card approved by the court.
(2) When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine is also sentenced to probation, the court may make the payment of the fine a condition of probation.
(3) When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine is also ordered to make restitution or reparation to the victim or victims, or to the person or party who has incurred loss or damage because of the defendant's crime, the payment of restitution or reparation shall have priority over the payment of the fine. No fine shall be collected until the restitution or reparation order has been satisfied. [L 1972, c 9, pt of §1; am L 1980, c 50, §3; am L 1986, c 226, §2]
COMMENTARY ON §706-642
This section merely gives the court specific statutory authorization for two common sentencing practices: (1) installment payments of a fine, and (2) making a fine one of the conditions of continued probation.
SUPPLEMENTAL COMMENTARY ON §706-642
Act 50, Session Laws 1980, authorized the payment of fines by credit cards in recognition of the widespread use of credit cards and to enable the courts to take advantage of an efficient system of collection.
Act 226, Session Laws 1986, ensured that, in cases where both fines and restitution are imposed, the latter has priority; no fine is to be collected until the restitution order is satisfied. In enacting this change, the legislature stated that it "supports the concept of restitution as a valuable means of compensating losses incurred by victims and confronting the offender with the direct personal consequences of the crime." Senate Standing Committee Report No. 798-86.
Case Notes
Where defendant was sentenced pursuant to §431:10C-117(a)(2), because the district court may have been unaware of the applicability of quoted parts of §706-641 and this section and of its discretionary authority to sentence defendant to perform community service rather than to pay the fine, appellate court vacated the part of the sentence ordering defendant to pay a $1,000 fine and remanded that part for resentencing. 77 H. 476 (App.), 888 P.2d 376 (1995).
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