ac2.3: assess how forms of punishment meet the aims of punishment - fines

Question 1

what are financial penalties?

Answer 1

• common disposal of a case in a magistrates court
• usually given for relatively minor offences
• the court takes into account the offender’s financial circumstances and the crime’s severity

Question 2

examples of crimes and their financial penalty

Answer 2

• speeding = 3 points and £100 fine
• parking fine = up to £1000 fine

Question 3

fines meet retribution

Answer 3

it acts as a form of revenge, especially if they receive a large fine

Question 4

fines don’t meet retribution

Answer 4

• it is really severe enough? it isn’t the same as losing your freedom
• will it always be in proportion to the offence? since it is based on income it could be too severe or too lenient
• according to the mirror, 61% of fines are either written off or remain uncollected

Question 5

fines meet rehabilitation

Answer 5

• perhaps the shock of receiving a large fine could change the offenders behaviour
• it has a lower reoffending rate of 56% compared to 63% for short sentences. perhaps it does offer some form of reform

Question 6

fines don’t meet rehabilitation

Answer 6

• it doesn’t target the cause of the crime directly, this isn’t rehabilitation

Question 7

fines meet deterrence

Answer 7

• the offender may fear further punishment, they will understand that a harsher punishment can be given if they re-offend

Question 8

fines don’t meet deterrence

Answer 8

• between 2009 and 2013, around £237.1 million od court fines were cancelled
• according to the mirror, 61% of fines are either written off or remain uncollected
• even though it is based on income, if someone earns a lot of money it may not act as enough of a deterrent

Question 9

fines meet public protection

Answer 9

• offenders who don’t pay their fines may receive a prison sentence, therefore removing them from society

Question 10

fines don’t meet public protection

Answer 10

• like community sentences, they do not involve locking people up, so they don’t meet this aim
• most unpaid fines are written off, in 2016, the backlog of fines and court charges reached £747 million

Question 11

fines meet reparation

Answer 11

• it can be argued as payback if the victim gets compensated, this would fulfill the aim of reparation

Question 12

fines don’t meet reparation

Answer 12

• the majority, or in many cases, all of the money doesn’t get paid to the victims, so the aim of reparation isn’t achieved
• in 2012, unpaid court fines reached nearly £2 billion, they aren’t making amends if the fines aren’t being paid

Question 13

fines meet denunciation

Answer 13

• people are taken to court and publically stigmatised when they receive their financial penalty, this may achieve the aim of denunciation as the public appearance in court re-affirms society’s norms and values

Question 14

fines don’t meet denunciation

Answer 14

• fines may not be a serious enough sentence to reinforce how wrong what they’ve done is