The common criminal does not have the means to pay those fines and make restitution to his victims, nor is he likely to afford child support payments for the children from a prior relationship if he is trying to support a wife and two or three kids
When sentencing a convicted felon to prison, judges will often order that in addition to his time in prison, he shall pay a fine of $10,000, $20,000 or more and make restitution for the losses suffered by his victims.
Let’s get real. At the time criminals are busted, most of them are in no position to pay those hefty fines or to make restitution. So, if some slob was not in a position to pay a fine or make restitution then, what makes anyone think they could do so when they are released from prison. I recall that most of my parolees were married with children and were barely able to provide support for their families, much less pay a fine or make restitution. And if they had to pay child support for children from a previous relationship, how in the hell would they be able to do that???
Court imposition of those fines and restitution is a feel-good farce and the judges have to know that you can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip.
And speaking of deadbeat dads, some are true deadbeats, but others are unable to make those child support payments because they simply do not have the means to do so.
The average convenience store robbery take is less than $900. The average bank robbery yields only a few thousand dollars. Although a burglar may steal TV sets, computers and other electronic gear from a house that his victim paid thousands of dollars for, he will realize only about 10 percent of that amount when disposing of his loot. In any case, the ill begotten robbery and burglary gains will not enable a parolee who is trying to support a wife and two or three kids to pay the fines and restitutions ordered by the courts or to make child support payments for the children from a prior relationship.
If the courts or parole officials were to insist that those court ordered fines, restitution and/or child support payments be made, they would likely drive the parolee to commit the one crime that is truly profitable … the sales of illegal drugs like pot, heroin, coke and meth. But if the parolee chooses not commit any crimes to raise money for those payments, he will be returned to prison as a parole violator for failure to obey a court order.
In either case, I don’t think that’s what the public wants.
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