ABSTRACT
Economic sanctions are court-imposed financial obligations following a criminal conviction. In the criminal justice system these economic sanctions are of four primary types: restitution, fees/costs, fines, and criminal forfeiture. Most typically in the United States, economic sanctions are used as penalties in addition to other sanctions, such as probation and incarceration. Restitution is a court-ordered payment to victims as compensation for the financial losses that they suffered as a result of the crime. As such, its goal is concern for the victim, but the payment also addresses issues of just deserts and justice for both the victim and society. The amount of restitution must be for "easily ascertainable" economic losses. Despite the pressures for more economic sanctions, however, dissatisfaction with economic sanctions may bring about change. The most important of these criticisms concern costs/fees.
