§ 8-344 — Restitution payments

A. If a juvenile is adjudicated delinquent, the court, after considering the nature of the offense and the age, physical and mental condition and earning capacity of the juvenile, shall order the juvenile to make full or partial restitution to the victim of the offense for which the juvenile was adjudicated delinquent or to the estate of the victim if the victim has died. The juvenile shall make restitution payments to the clerk of the court for disbursement to the victim or estate of the victim.

B. The court shall notify the victim or estate of the victim of the dispositional hearing. The court may consider a verified statement from the victim or estate of the victim concerning damages for lost wages, reasonable damages for injury to or loss of property and actual expenses of medical treatment for personal injury, excluding pain and suffering.

C. In ordering restitution pursuant to subsection A of this section, the court may order one or both of the juvenile's custodial parents to make restitution to the victim of the offense for which the juvenile was adjudicated delinquent or to the estate of the victim if the victim has died. The court shall determine the amount of restitution ordered pursuant to this subsection, except that the amount shall not exceed the liability limit established pursuant to section 12-661. The court may order a parent or juvenile who is ordered to pay restitution to satisfy the order in a lump sum or installment payments to the clerk of the court for disbursement to the victim or estate of the victim. If the court orders the juvenile's parents to make restitution pursuant to this subsection, the court shall order the juvenile to make either full or partial restitution, regardless of the juvenile's insufficient earning capacity. The court shall not consider the ability of the juvenile's parents to pay restitution before making a restitution order.

D. The juvenile court shall retain jurisdiction of the case after the juvenile attains eighteen years of age for the purpose of modifying the manner in which court ordered payments are to be made. After a juvenile attains eighteen years of age or if the court retains jurisdiction over the juvenile pursuant to section 8-202, subsection H on termination of the juvenile's probation, the juvenile court shall enter a juvenile restitution order in favor of each person entitled to restitution for the unpaid balance of any restitution ordered pursuant to this section.

E. The clerk of the court shall send a copy of the juvenile restitution order to each person who is entitled to restitution.

F. A juvenile restitution order may be recorded and enforced as any civil judgment, except that a juvenile restitution order does not require renewal pursuant to section 12-1611 or 12-1612. A juvenile restitution order does not expire until paid in full. Enforcement of a juvenile restitution order by any person who is entitled to restitution or by the state includes the collection of interest, which accrues at a rate of ten percent per annum.

G. A juvenile restitution order is a criminal penalty for the purposes of a federal bankruptcy involving the juvenile.