Commonwealth v. Runion, 662 A.2d 617 (Pa. 1995)

Cases | Commonwealth v. Runion, 662 A.2d 617 (Pa. 1995) | 2018

The defendant was ordered to pay $7,261.07 in restitution to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare for the medical costs incurred for treatment of the victim who was on welfare at the time of the crime. The court held that a government agency cannot be considered a victim for purposes of restitution under Section 1106 of the Crimes Code because such agencies were excluded from the definition of a ‘person’ under the Statutory Construction Act. The court opined that the legislature would have to amend the definition of the word “victim” for an entity of the Commonwealth to be considered a victim under 18 Pa.C.S. § 1106.