Washington Code 13.40.190 – Disposition order — Restitution for loss or damage — Modification of restitution order

(1)(a) In its dispositional order, the court shall require the respondent to make restitution to any persons who have suffered loss or damage as a result of the offense committed by the respondent. In addition, restitution may be ordered for loss or damage if the offender pleads guilty to a lesser offense or fewer offenses and agrees with the prosecutor’s recommendation that the offender be required to pay restitution to a victim of an offense or offenses which, pursuant to a plea agreement, are not prosecuted.

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Terms Used In Washington Code 13.40.190

Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
person: may be construed to include the United States, this state, or any state or territory, or any public or private corporation or limited liability company, as well as an individual. See Washington Code 1.16.080
Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. ^Source:
Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.

(b) Restitution may include the costs of counseling reasonably related to the offense.

(c) The payment of restitution shall be in addition to any punishment which is imposed pursuant to the other provisions of this chapter.

(d) The court may determine the amount, terms, and conditions of the restitution including a payment plan extending up to ten years if the court determines that the respondent does not have the means to make full restitution over a shorter period. If the court determines that a juvenile has insufficient funds to pay and upon agreement of the victim, the court may order performance of a number of hours of community restitution in lieu of monetary penalty, at the rate of the then state minimum wage per hour. The court shall allow the victim to determine the nature of the community restitution to be completed when it is practicable and appropriate to do so. For the purposes of this section, the respondent shall remain under the court’s jurisdiction for a maximum term of ten years after the respondent’s eighteenth birthday and, during this period, the restitution portion of the dispositional order may be modified as to amount, terms, and conditions at any time. Prior to the expiration of the ten-year period, the juvenile court may extend the judgment for the payment of restitution for an additional ten years. If the court grants a respondent’s petition pursuant to RCW 13.50.260, the court’s jurisdiction under this subsection shall terminate.

(e) Nothing in this section shall prevent a respondent from petitioning the court pursuant to RCW 13.50.260 if the respondent has paid the full restitution amount stated in the court’s order and has met the statutory criteria.

(f) If the respondent participated in the crime with another person or other persons, the court may either order joint and several restitution or may divide restitution equally among the respondents. In determining whether restitution should be joint and several or equally divided, the court shall consider the interest and circumstances of the victim or victims, the circumstances of the respondents, and the interest of justice.

(g) At any time, the court may determine that the respondent is not required to pay, or may relieve the respondent of the requirement to pay, full or partial restitution to any insurance provider authorized under Title 48 RCW if the respondent reasonably satisfies the court that he or she does not have the means to make full or partial restitution to the insurance provider.

(2) Regardless of the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, the court shall order restitution in all cases where the victim is entitled to benefits under the crime victims’ compensation act, chapter 7.68 RCW. If the court does not order restitution and the victim of the crime has been determined to be entitled to benefits under the crime victims’ compensation act, the department of labor and industries, as administrator of the crime victims’ compensation program, may petition the court within one year of entry of the disposition order for entry of a restitution order. Upon receipt of a petition from the department of labor and industries, the court shall hold a restitution hearing and shall enter a restitution order.

(3) If an order includes restitution as one of the monetary assessments, the county clerk shall make disbursements to victims named in the order. The restitution to victims named in the order shall be paid prior to any payment for other penalties or monetary assessments. The county clerk shall make restitution disbursements to victims prior to payments to any insurance provider under Title 48 RCW.

(4) For purposes of this section, “victim” means any person who has sustained emotional, psychological, physical, or financial injury to person or property as a direct result of the offense charged. “Victim” may also include a known parent or guardian of a victim who is a minor child or is not a minor child but is incapacitated, incompetent, disabled, or deceased.

(5) A respondent under obligation to pay restitution may petition the court for modification of the restitution order for good cause shown, including inability to pay.