Restitution

Restitution is a remedy which is used to restore the injured party to the position occupied before the offense. The basic purpose of restitution is to achieve fairness.

For example, if a defendant is convicted of stealing a person’s property, the defendant may be sentenced to reimburse the victim for the value of the property, in addition to other punishments such as jail time and monetary fines.

Restitution involves the court, as a part of a sentence in a criminal case, ordering a defendant to compensate the victim for losses suffered as a result of crime.