{"data":{"id":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-280-6","jurisdiction":"us-ma","citation":"Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 280, § 6","heading":"Costs as penalty for crime; expenses of prosecution","body":"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.","path":["Part IV","Title II","Chapter 280"],"source_url":"https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleII/Chapter280/Section6","current_through":"amendments passed before May 31, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-17T05:25:23Z","sha256":"f96c605c7a38b76c797878becbfa536c9e861911104cc25ba920d44c0ebfb296","source_id":"us-ma","stale":false,"prev":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-280-5","next":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-280-6a"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}