Prisoners pay their fines and restitution through a trust account maintained by the facility, which receives their prison wages and any money sent in by family or friends. A set share of every deposit is routed automatically to court-ordered debt under a structured collection program, and the payments follow a priority order fixed by federal law: special assessments first, then victim restitution, then fines and court costs.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3612 – Collection of Unpaid Fine or Restitution
What a Criminal Sentence Actually Requires You to Pay
A federal sentence usually stacks several financial obligations. Restitution to victims is mandatory for crimes of violence, property offenses, and fraud where an identifiable victim suffered physical injury or financial loss.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 3663A – Mandatory Restitution to Victims of Certain Crimes Every conviction also carries a special assessment: $100 per felony count for an individual, $25 per Class A misdemeanor count.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 3013 – Special Assessment on Convicted Persons On top of that, the judge can impose a fine based on the defendant’s income, earning capacity, and resources.
When a defendant cannot pay in full at sentencing, the court sets an installment schedule, and federal law requires that schedule to be the shortest period in which the person can reasonably pay in full.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 3572 – Imposition of a Sentence of Fine and Related Matters The priority order matters in practice: victims are paid before the government collects its own fines.
The Trust Account and Prison Wages
Incarcerated people cannot carry cash, so every facility keeps an individual trust account for each person. Wages, family deposits, and any other incoming funds pass through it, giving the facility a clean record of what is available for court-ordered obligations.5Federal Bureau of Prisons. Communications – Section: Sending Money
Prison wages are small. Regular federal facility jobs — kitchen, laundry, groundskeeping, maintenance — pay between $0.12 and $0.40 per hour.6Federal Register. Inmate Financial Responsibility Program Procedures UNICOR jobs, which produce goods and services, pay between $0.23 and $1.15 per hour.7Federal Bureau of Prisons. UNICOR – About State wages vary but generally sit in the same range. At those rates, clearing a large restitution balance through work alone can take decades, which is why deposits from outside are often the larger source of payment.
How the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program Works
The federal Bureau of Prisons runs the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program to collect these debts throughout a sentence. At intake, staff review the judgment and every outstanding obligation, then build a written financial plan with the incarcerated person listing each debt in priority order: special assessments, then restitution, then fines. Staff revisit the plan at every program review.8eCFR. 28 CFR 545.11 – Procedures
The standard minimum payment for inmates in non-UNICOR work assignments, or the lowest UNICOR pay grade, is $25 per quarter. That minimum can rise depending on the specific debts and the money available. Inmates in UNICOR pay grades 1 through 4 are expected to put at least 50 percent of their monthly pay toward the plan. Any reduction below the standard amount needs unit manager approval.8eCFR. 28 CFR 545.11 – Procedures
Declining to participate carries real costs:
- A monthly commissary spending cap as low as $25.
- Ineligibility for halfway houses and other community placement.
- Denial of furloughs except for medical or emergency reasons.
- Removal from or ineligibility for UNICOR jobs and their higher pay.
- The Bureau of Prisons has proposed making refusers ineligible to earn or apply First Step Act time credits, though that change has not been finalized.9Federal Register. Inmate Financial Responsibility Program Procedures
State prison systems run their own versions with different payment amounts and consequences, but the basic structure — automatic deductions from an incarcerated person’s account toward court-ordered debt — is common across most systems.
How Family and Friends Send Money In
Outside deposits are often the largest source of funds available for court-ordered debt. Before sending anything to a federal inmate, the sender needs the person’s full legal name as it appears in Bureau of Prisons records and their eight-digit register number. Both can be looked up through the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator.10Federal Bureau of Prisons. Inmate Locator State systems have their own locator tools.
The Bureau of Prisons accepts electronic deposits through Western Union and MoneyGram, and transfers typically post within a few hours during business hours.12Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using Western Union
Money orders and cashier’s checks can also be mailed to a centralized lockbox rather than the prison itself. For federal inmates, the lockbox is in Des Moines, Iowa, and the envelope must include the person’s full name and eight-digit register number. U.S. Postal Service money orders process quickly; non-government checks are held for 15 days, and foreign instruments payable in U.S. dollars are held for 45 days.11Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sending Funds Using the United States Postal Service Once funds land in the trust account, the facility applies the appropriate share to court-ordered debt according to the financial plan.
Interest and Extra Charges on What You Owe
The balance is not static. Under federal law, interest starts accruing on any fine or restitution order over $2,500 if the full amount is not paid within 15 days of the judgment. Interest is computed daily at a rate tied to the weekly average one-year constant maturity Treasury yield.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3612 – Collection of Unpaid Fine or Restitution Because almost no one incarcerated can pay in full within 15 days, interest runs for virtually every federal defendant who owes more than $2,500.
State rules differ. Some states apply their own statutory legal rate to restitution balances, some charge interest only after the order is converted to a civil judgment, and a few do not charge interest on criminal restitution at all. States also frequently add administrative surcharges and assessments on top of the base fine, which fund victim compensation programs, court technology, and other government functions. These can add hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Changing a Payment Plan After Circumstances Shift
If your financial situation changes materially, such as through a job loss, medical emergency, or loss of outside support, federal law provides a path to adjust. You must notify the court and the Attorney General of any material change in economic circumstances that might affect your ability to pay. The defendant, the government, or the victim can then ask the court to adjust the schedule, and the court can also act on its own motion.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 3664 – Procedure for Issuance and Enforcement of Order of Restitution The defendant carries the burden of proving the change.
Inside the Bureau of Prisons, staff can also adjust the financial plan between reviews when circumstances change, such as when a work assignment is lost. Any reduction below the standard payment needs unit manager approval after consultation with the associate warden. Adjusting the prison financial plan does not change the court’s underlying order; it changes only how much is collected each period while the person is incarcerated.
What Happens to the Balance After Release
Leaving prison does not clear the debt. A federal restitution order creates a lien on all of the defendant’s property and rights to property, treated like a federal tax lien, and it remains enforceable for 20 years after release.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3613 – Civil Remedies for Satisfaction of an Unpaid Fine The government’s collection tools include:
- Wage garnishment against post-release earnings.
- Interception of federal tax refunds through the Treasury Offset Program.
- Bank levies and other asset seizure, because the lien operates like a tax lien.
Bankruptcy is not a way out. Federal law specifically excludes criminal restitution and criminal fines from discharge in bankruptcy.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 11 U.S. Code 523 – Exceptions to Discharge
There is one important constitutional limit. Courts cannot revoke probation or supervised release and send someone back to prison solely because they lack the money to pay. Before revoking for non-payment, the court must find that the person willfully refused to pay or failed to make good-faith efforts to acquire the resources. Genuine inability alone is not grounds for reincarceration. If you fall behind after release, document your financial situation and tell the court promptly. Staying in communication is the strongest protection against a finding of willful non-compliance.