(a) Compensatory or punitive damages awarded by trial or settlement to any inmate, parolee, person placed on postrelease community supervision pursuant to Section 3451, or defendant on mandatory supervision imposed pursuant to subparagraph (B) of paragraph (5) of subdivision (h) of Section 1170 in connection with a civil action brought against a federal, state, or local jail, prison, or correctional facility, or any official or agent thereof, shall be paid directly, after payment of reasonable attorney’s fees and litigation costs approved by the court, to satisfy any outstanding restitution orders or restitution fines against that person. The balance of the award shall be forwarded to the payee after full payment of all outstanding restitution orders and restitution fines, subject to subdivision (c).
(b) The department shall make all reasonable efforts to notify the victims of the crime for which that person was convicted concerning the pending payment of any compensatory or punitive damages. For any prisoner punished by imprisonment in a county jail pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170, the agency may make all reasonable efforts to notify the victims of the crime for which that person was convicted concerning the pending payment of any compensatory or punitive damages.
(c) (1) The secretary shall deduct and retain from any prisoner or parolee settlement or trial award an administrative fee that totals 5 percent of any amount paid from the settlement or award to satisfy an outstanding restitution order or fine, unless prohibited by federal law.
(2) The agency may deduct and retain from any settlement or trial award of a person previously imprisoned in county jail an administrative fee that totals 5 percent of any amount paid from the settlement or award to satisfy an outstanding restitution order or fine, unless prohibited by federal law.
(3) The secretary or the agency shall deposit the administrative fee moneys in a special deposit account for reimbursing administrative and support costs of the department’s or agency’s restitution program, as applicable. The secretary, at his or her discretion, or the agency may either retain any excess funds in the special deposit account for future reimbursement of the department’s or agency’s administrative and support costs for the restitution program or may transfer all or part of the excess funds for deposit in the Restitution Fund.
(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 718, Sec. 3. (SB 1054) Effective January 1, 2017.)