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Code · Massachusetts · Part IV — CRIMES, PUNISHMENTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASES · Title II — PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASES · Chapter 280

Section 6: Costs as penalty for crime; expenses of prosecution

78 words·~1 min read·/ma/part-iv/title-ii/chapter-280/6

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Section 6. Costs shall not be imposed by a justice as a penalty for a crime. A justice may, as a condition of the dismissal or placing on file of a complaint or indictment, or as a term of probation, order the defendant to pay the reasonable and actual expenses of the prosecution. A justice may impose reasonable costs as a result of a default by a criminal defendant that was intentional or negligent and without good cause.
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