The victim never claimed restitution. Do I still have to pay?

Yes. The CDCR is in charge of managing restitution accounts for direct orders, even once you are released. Most of the time, the CDCR does not initially have an address for the victim to which they can direct payments. In such a case, depending on your custody status, either the CDCR or the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board hangs onto the payments until the victim can be located.  State law permits victims to come forward at any time to claim restitution collected on their behalf.[2283]

  1. 2283

    CDCR Victim Services, Collecting Restitution, http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/victim_services/unclaimed_restitution.html.