(a) Whenever an adult or minor is committed to or housed in a Youth Authority facility and he or she owes restitution to a victim or a restitution fine imposed pursuant to Section 13967, as operative on or before September 28, 1994, of the Government Code, or Section 1202.4 of the Penal Code, or Section 1203.04, as operative on or before August 2, 1994, of the Penal Code, or pursuant to Section 729.6, as operative on or before August 2, 1995, Section 730.6 or 731.1, as operative on or before August 2, 1995, the director may deduct a reasonable amount not to exceed 50 percent from the wages of that adult or minor and the amount so deducted, exclusive of the costs of administering this section, which shall be retained by the director, shall be transferred to the California Victim Compensation Board for deposit in the Restitution Fund in the State Treasury in the case of a restitution fine, or, in the case of a restitution order, and upon the request of the victim, shall be paid directly to the victim. Any amount so deducted shall be credited against the amount owing on the fine or to the victim. The committing court shall be provided a record of any payments.

(b) A victim who has requested that restitution payments be paid directly to him or her pursuant to subdivision (a) shall provide a current address to the Youth Authority to enable the Youth Authority to send restitution payments collected on the victim’s behalf to the victim.

(c) In the case of a restitution order, whenever the victim has died, cannot be located, or has not requested the restitution payment, the director may deduct a reasonable amount not to exceed 50 percent of the wages of that adult or minor and the amount so deducted, exclusive of the costs of administering this section, which shall be retained by the director, shall be transferred to the California Victim Compensation Board, pursuant to subdivision (d), after one year has elapsed from the time the ward is discharged by the Youth Authority Board. Any amount so deducted shall be credited against the amount owing to the victim. The funds so transferred shall be deposited in the Restitution Fund.

(d) If the Youth Authority has collected restitution payments on behalf of a victim, the victim shall request those payments no later than one year after the ward has been discharged by the Youth Authority Board. Any victim who fails to request those payments within that time period shall have relinquished all rights to the payments, unless he or she can show reasonable cause for failure to request those payments within that time period.

(e) The director shall transfer to the California Victim Compensation Board all restitution payments collected prior to the effective date of this section on behalf of victims who have died, cannot be located, or have not requested restitution payments. The California Victim Compensation Board shall deposit these amounts in the Restitution Fund.

(f) For purposes of this section, “victim” includes a victim’s immediate surviving family member, on whose behalf restitution has been ordered.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 31, Sec. 280. (SB 836) Effective June 27, 2016.)