Study shows $780 million in restitution goes unpaid in PA

(Harrisburg) -- A new study is recommending ways to reduce the amount of court-ordered restitution that goes unpaid in Pennsylvania, a sum that's reached nearly $780 million.

A task force has issued a report that suggested 47 ways state policymakers can address the problem.

Among the proposals are to make procedures more standard from county to county, to hire government workers devoted to collecting restitution, and to give authorities more power to use state-issued licenses as leverage.

The task force says the state could begin taking money for unpaid restitution directly from the defendants' paychecks or lottery winnings.

The report notes that the experiences of crime victims currently vary significantly from county to county.