Criminal penalties: nonpayment of fines.

Existing law permits a judgment against a criminal defendant that orders the defendant to pay a fine, other than a restitution fine or order, to also direct that he or she be imprisoned until the fine is satisfied. Existing law requires the judgment to specify the term of imprisonment for nonpayment of the fine, and prohibits that term from exceeding one day for each $125 of the fine, or exceeding the term for which the defendant may be sentenced for the offense of which he or she has been convicted. This bill would prohibit the term of imprisonment for nonpayment of a fine from exceeding one day for each $125 of the base fine or the term for which the defendant may be sentenced. The bill would require the penalties and assessments imposed on the base fine, if an amount of the base fine is not satisfied by jail credits or community service, to be reduced by the percentage of the base fine that was satisfied. Existing law also requires that in all felony and misdemeanor convictions, when the defendant has been in custody, that all days of custody of the defendant, as specified, are to be credited upon his or her term of imprisonment, or credited to any fine, on a proportional basis, that may be imposed, at the rate of not less than $125 per day, in the discretion of the court imposing the sentence. This bill would specify that the rate of credit under those provisions be credited to the term of imprisonment of the defendant or credited to the base fine that may be imposed. The bill would require the penalties and assessments imposed on the base fine, if an amount of the base fine is not satisfied by jail credits or community service, to be reduced by the percentage of the base fine that was satisfied.