What to do if You Cannot Pay the Fines for Criminal Charges?

Monetary penalties are quite common with criminal charges and are assessed when the criminal defendant is convicted of the crime. Often, they are handed down in conjunction with a jail sentence. But, what can happen if you cannot afford to pay the fine assessed to you by the judge?

You will require the assistance of a good criminal defense attorney to defend you in this matter. Whenever a large monetary penalty is involved, a defense attorney will guide you with how to deal with the inability to make payments for this fine.

If you want to know how a defendant deals with this kind of a situation, you have to learn about a few basic things here. A monetary penalty for a criminal charge is a certain amount that you will have to pay to the court owing to being involved in any sort of criminal activity.

The amount of monetary penalty you will be subjected to will depend on the statute which encompasses the law that was broken. And the fine is enforceable depending on the increment payments till a particular due date which is provided in the sentencing order, a document that is offered by the court in question declaring the fact that you are subjected to the payment of a certain fine.

Now, the question ‘what if you cannot make the payments?’

Some courts will enable you to build a payment plan if it is not possible for you to pay for the criminal fine. This particular plan basically permits all the defendants to comply with the penalty as had been ordered by the court.

Despite the payment plan, if you still cannot afford to pay the fines, you will have to work on additional measures with the court so as to be able to comply with the penalty. As per the guidelines of the federal law, the court has the power to resentence you to incarceration which was, otherwise, not given because of your agreement to paying the fine. If this monetary punishment was combined with imprisonment for a substantial period, then the courts can use their discretion to add more time to this original sentence. Not paying the monetary penalty is considered to be contempt of court, which might also lead to more stringent and harsher sentences.

If you are on probation and do not pay your fines, you are considered to have violated your probation. This will lead to a required court appearance and the revocation of your probation. Instead of finishing your probation, you will go to jail to complete your sentence.

You must also pay attention to the property liens with regard to the criminal fines you might be subjected to. Refusal to make the penalty payments can enable the courts to implement a lien against to your property, and that will involve real estate foreclosure, wage garnishment, or execution and sale of the property owned by you. These are basically ways in which you can be persuaded to make the payment.

There are many reasons why you should be diligent about paying the fines you were ordered to pay for your criminal charges. You risk going to jail and losing your job, or future earnings from a job and income tax refunds.

Have you or someone you know been convicted of criminal charges and punished with a hefty monetary payment? Then, the only resort you have is a Pittsburgh criminal lawyer. He or she will have years of experience in defending people against all kinds of felony charges or types of misdemeanors. So, when it comes to the payment of penalties, he or she can help you protect your or the family member’s rights on your behalf. It is crucial that you understand the seriousness of the matter and consult one of the best criminal defense attorneys to help you with avoiding criminal fines.