What is Criminal Restitution?

If you were injured in a car accident, you might be entitled to compensatory damages from the party who...

You may be entitled to compensation for injuries caused by another party’s negligence or wrongdoing....

Perhaps you are seeking a work visa or investor visa. Perhaps you want to bring your fiancée, spouse...

When facing serious criminal charges, you need to understand your legal rights and all the potential...

If you have an impairment that prevents you from working, you may be eligible for benefits under Social...

If you were injured in a car accident, you might be entitled to compensatory damages from the party who...

You may be entitled to compensation for injuries caused by another party’s negligence or wrongdoing....

Perhaps you are seeking a work visa or investor visa. Perhaps you want to bring your fiancée, spouse...

When facing serious criminal charges, you need to understand your legal rights and all the potential...

If you have an impairment that prevents you from working, you may be eligible for benefits under Social...

If you were injured in a car accident, you might be entitled to compensatory damages from the party who...

You may be entitled to compensation for injuries caused by another party’s negligence or wrongdoing....

Perhaps you are seeking a work visa or investor visa. Perhaps you want to bring your fiancée, spouse...

When facing serious criminal charges, you need to understand your legal rights and all the potential...

If you have an impairment that prevents you from working, you may be eligible for benefits under Social...

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If you were injured in a car accident, you might be entitled to compensatory damages from the party who...

You may be entitled to compensation for injuries caused by another party’s negligence or wrongdoing....

Perhaps you are seeking a work visa or investor visa. Perhaps you want to bring your fiancée, spouse...

When facing serious criminal charges, you need to understand your legal rights and all the potential...

If you have an impairment that prevents you from working, you may be eligible for benefits under Social...

Geocoding Error Occured.

Tried to Geocode:

Error Type:

Please be sure to follow the tutorial on how to setup the Google APIs required for the Advanced Google Map Widget.

When someone is convicted of a crime, they can face various penalties, such as criminal fines, incarceration, a suspended driver’s license, community service, probation, and criminal restitution to name a few. How do criminal fines and criminal restitution differ? A criminal fine is simply a fine imposed as punishment for a crime; the defendant pays the fine to the government. Criminal fines are typically imposed for misdemeanors and felonies alike. For example, a first DWI in Texas is punishable by a fine up to $2,000. Criminal fines are not determined by a victim’s loss. In Texas, fines are outlined under Title 3, Chapter 12 of the Texas Penal Code. For example, under Sec. 12.21 of the Texas Penal Code, a Class A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine not to exceed $4,000. If you are facing criminal charges and you are convicted, the judge may only impose a fine, or the judge may impose a fine combined with other punishments, such as incarceration, community service, or probation. For misdemeanors, especially first offenses, it’s not uncommon for a defendant to receive a fine plus community service.

Criminal Restitution Explained

Criminal restitution is money paid to the victim of a crime to help make him or her whole again. The purpose of restitution is to compensate the victim for their financial loss; it’s also supposed to hold the defendant financially responsible for their actions. Examples of restitution:

• Paying to repair a vehicle the victim vandalized.
• Paying back the value of items stolen from a home.
• Covering the costs of a victim’s medical care after an assault.
• Paying for a victim’s funeral.
• Returning stolen goods or tools to their owner.

Will I get a fine and restitution? If there was a victim involved, it’s very possible that you’ll get both a fine and restitution. If you committed a serious crime involving a victim, you could get a fine, restitution, and jail or prison. Your punishment depends on a number of factors, such as the nature of the offense and your criminal record history. Facing criminal charges in Plano or Dallas? Contact our firm to discuss your defense options, including seeking a dismissal or if that’s not probable, making a plea deal.