§ 5362. Restitution Unit

(a) A Restitution Unit is created within the Center for Crime Victim Services for purposes of ensuring that crime victims receive restitution when it is ordered by the court.

(b) The Restitution Unit shall administer the Restitution Fund established under section 5363 of this title.

(c) The Restitution Unit shall have the authority to:

(1) Collect restitution from the offender when it is ordered by the court under section 7043 of this title.

(2) Enforce a restitution obligation as a civil judgment under section 7043 of this title. The Restitution Unit shall enforce restitution orders issued prior to July 1, 2004 pursuant to the law in effect on the date the order is issued.

(3)(A) Share and access information, including information maintained by the National Criminal Information Center, consistent with Vermont and federal law, from the court, the Departments of Corrections, of Motor Vehicles, of Taxes, and of Labor, and law enforcement agencies in order to carry out its collection and enforcement functions. The Restitution Unit, for purposes of establishing and enforcing restitution payment obligations, is designated as a law enforcement agency for the sole purpose of requesting and obtaining access to information needed to identify or locate a person, including access to information maintained by the National Criminal Information Center.

(B) Provide information to the Department of Corrections concerning supervised offenders, including an offender’s restitution payment history and balance, address and contact information, employment information, and information concerning the Restitution Unit’s collection efforts.

(C) The Restitution Unit is specifically authorized to collect, record, use, and disseminate Social Security numbers as needed for the purpose of collecting restitution and enforcing restitution judgment orders issued by the court, provided that the Social Security number is maintained on a separate form that is confidential and exempt from public inspection and copying under the Public Records Act.

(4) Investigate and verify losses as determined by the Restitution Unit, including losses that may be eligible for advance payment from the Restitution Special Fund, and verify the amount of insurance or other payments paid to or for the benefit of a victim, and reduce the amount collected or to be collected from the offender or disbursed to the victim from the Crime Victims’ Restitution Special Fund accordingly. The Restitution Unit, when appropriate, shall submit to the Court a proposed revised restitution order, with copies provided to the victim and the offender. No hearing shall be required.

(5) Adopt such administrative rules as are reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes set forth in this section.

(6)(A) Report offenders’ payment histories to credit reporting agencies. The Unit shall not make a report under this subdivision (6) until after it has notified the offender of the proposed report by first class mail or other like means to give actual notice, and provided the offender a period not to exceed 20 days to contest the accuracy of the information with the Unit. The Unit shall immediately notify each credit bureau organization to which information has been furnished of any increases or decreases in the amount of restitution owed by the offender.

(B) Obtain offenders’ credit reports from credit reporting agencies. The Unit shall not obtain a report under this subdivision (6) until after it has notified the offender by first class mail or other means likely to give actual notice of its intent to obtain the report.

(7) Enter into a repayment contract with a juvenile or adult accepted into a diversion program and to bring a civil action to enforce the contract when a diversion program has referred an individual pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 164a.

(8) Contract with one or more sheriff’s departments for the purposes of serving process, warrants, demand letters, and mittimuses in restitution cases, and contract with one or more law enforcement agencies or other investigators for the purpose of investigating and locating offenders and enforcing restitution judgment orders.

(9) Collect from an offender subject to a restitution judgment order all fees and direct costs, including reasonable attorney’s fees, incurred by the Restitution Unit as a result of enforcing the order and investigating and locating the offender. (Added 2003, No. 57, § 3, eff. June 4, 2003; amended 2003, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2005, No. 51, § 2; amended 2005, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 5, 2006; 2005, No. 162 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. Jan. 1, 2007; 2007, No. 40, § 3; 2011, No. 145 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2013, No. 126 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)