§50-3-2 Costs in criminal proceedings.
§50-3-2. Costs in criminal proceedings.
(a) In each criminal case before a magistrate court in which the defendant is convicted, whether by plea or at trial, there is imposed, in addition to other costs, fines, forfeitures or penalties as may be allowed by law: (1) Costs in the amount of sixty dollars, of which five dollars of that amount shall be deposited in the Courthouse Facilities Improvement Fund created by section six, article twenty-six, chapter twenty-nine of this code; (2) an amount equal to the one-day per diem provided for in subsection (h), section ten, article twenty, chapter thirty-one of this code; and (3) costs in the amount of thirty dollars to be deposited in the Regional Jail Operations Partial Reimbursement Fund created by section ten-b of said article. A magistrate may not collect costs in advance. Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, a person liable for fines and court costs in a criminal proceeding in which the defendant is confined in a jail or prison and not participating in a work release program shall not be held liable for the fines and court costs until one hundred eighty days after completion of the term in jail or prison. A magistrate court shall deposit five dollars from each of the criminal proceedings fees collected pursuant to this section in the Court Security Fund created in section fourteen, article three, chapter fifty-one of this code. A magistrate court shall, on or before the tenth day of the month following the month in which the fees imposed in this section were collected, remit an amount equal to the one-day per diem provided for in subsection (h), section ten, article twenty, chapter thirty-one of this code from each of the criminal proceedings in which the fees specified in this section were collected to the magistrate court clerk, or if there is no magistrate court clerk to the clerk of the circuit, together with information as may be required by the rules of the Supreme Court of Appeals and the rules of the Office of Chief Inspector. These moneys are paid to the sheriff who shall distribute the moneys solely in accordance with the provisions of section fifteen, article five, chapter seven of this code. Amendments made to this section during the regular session of the Legislature, two thousand one, are effective after the thirtieth day of June, two thousand one.
(b) A magistrate shall assess costs in the amount of two dollars and fifty cents for issuing a sheep warrant and the appointment and swearing appraisers and docketing the proceedings.
(c) In each criminal case which must be tried by the circuit court but in which a magistrate renders some service, costs in the amount of ten dollars shall be imposed by the magistrate court and is certified to the clerk of the circuit court in accordance with the provisions of section six, article five, chapter sixty-two of this code.