§ 21-843.6. Payment of costs by defendant upon conviction.  


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  • A.  1.  In addition to any other costs which a court is authorized to require a defendant to pay, upon conviction of any offense involving child abuse or neglect, the court may require that the defendant pay court-appointed attorney fees for the child to any local or state agency incurring the cost or any other person or entity providing services to or on behalf of the child, and the cost of any medical examinations conducted on the child in order to determine the nature or extent of the abuse or neglect.

    2.  If the court determines that the defendant has the ability to pay all or part of the costs, the court may set the amount to be reimbursed and order the defendant to pay that sum to the local or state agency or other person or entity incurring the cost in the manner in which the court believes reasonable and compatible with the defendant's financial ability.

    3.  In making a determination of whether a defendant has the ability to pay, the court shall take into account the amount of any fine imposed upon the defendant and any amount the defendant has been ordered to pay in restitution.

    B.  1.  In addition to any other costs which a court is authorized to require a defendant to pay, upon conviction of any offense involving sexual abuse, the court may require that the defendant pay, to the local or state agency incurring the cost, the cost of any medical examinations conducted on the child for the collection and preservation of evidence.

    2.  If the court determines that the defendant has the ability to pay all or part of the cost of the medical examination, the court may set the amount to be reimbursed and order the defendant to pay that sum to the local or state agency incurring the cost, in the manner in which the court believes reasonable and compatible with the defendant's financial ability.

    3.  In making the determination of whether a defendant has the ability to pay, the court shall take into account the amount of any fine imposed upon the defendant and any amount the defendant has been ordered to pay in restitution.

    4.  In no event shall a court penalize an indigent defendant by imposing an additional period of imprisonment in lieu of payment.

    C.  1.  The court shall require the defendant to pay, upon conviction of any offense involving the sexual or physical abuse of a child, for the psychological evaluation to determine the extent of counseling necessary for the victim of the abuse and any necessary psychological counseling deemed necessary to rehabilitate the child.

    2.  Such evaluations and counseling may be performed by psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed professional counselors or social workers.  The results of the examination shall be included in the court records and in information contained in the central registry.

Added by Laws 1995, c. 353, § 14, eff. Nov. 1, 1995.  Amended by Laws 1998, c. 416, § 20, eff. Nov. 1, 1998.  Renumbered from § 7114 of Title 10 by Laws 2009, c. 233, § 206, emerg. eff. May 21, 2009.