Criminal Compensation or Costs

Criminal Compensation

If you are found guilty of an offence, the Court can make a Criminal Compensation Order that you pay the victim an amount of money to compensate them for loss or injuries. 

Police can seek this order on behalf of the victim of crime. The Court will usually decide whether to make the Order at the same time you are sentenced.

Criminal Costs

If you are found guilty of an offence, you may be ordered to pay the prosecutor's legal costs.  Depending on the offence, the prosecutor may be a police officer, council or RSPCA officer, a lawyer representing a prosecuting party.

The amount of legal costs that you could be ordered to pay can vary from case to case, and depends on the amount that the prosecutor asks for and what the magistrate thinks is just and reasonable.

Enforcement of Criminal Orders for the payment of Compensation or Costs

Where a court makes an order for payment of compensation or for costs and this has not been paid, enforcement proceedings can be started in the civil jurisdiction of that court.

The creditor (person to whom the money is payable), can request the court that made the order to prepare a certificate of conviction. The certificate must then be registered as a judgment of the court, allowing civil enforcement to commence.

A person seeking to enforce a criminal order for compensation or costs is not required to pay fees for the civil enforcement process.

Further Information

For more information on orders for compensation or costs and enforcement, see the Legal Aid website.

For further information about registering an order for compensation/costs in the Local Court, see Registering an order from a Court or Tribunal.