7 ms·

Paying a fine isn't a real punishment?

• charonn0 5y ago
  It's not a fine. That's the problem.
  • Paradox0 5y ago
    Sure, it's a "financial penalty", technically. Plea deals are common in many jurisdictions, and the settlement imposes additional penalties. They're being punished.
    • tehwebguy 5y ago
      You are right that a fine is a real penalty but that’s not the real problem. The problem is that someone who committed the same crime but has less money wouldn’t qualify for this option.
      • Paradox0 5y ago
        Is that true? I'm not a lawyer, but I know that in certain criminal plea agreements, such as in antitrust cases, the financial penalty can be paid over installments, the size of which is tied to the company's financial performance. See e.g. > If the parties agree that the recommended fine needs to be paid in installments because of the defendant's inability to pay the entire amount immediately, the plea agreement will include the installment schedule and any interest terms.(58) The payment of a special assessment(59) and any recommendation on a term of probation(60) or expedited sentencing(61) for corporations, or requests by individual defendants to be placed in a specific correctional facility,(62) will also be addressed in the plea agreement. https://www.justice.gov/atr/speech/us-model-negotiated-plea-agreements-good-deal-benefits-all https://www.justice.gov/atr/speech/us-model-negotiated-plea-... And to get back to the original comment I replied to, this critique seems like it would apply to any financial punishment, not something that came down to a technical distinction between "fine" and "financial penalty".
        • noitpmeder 5y ago
          Someone with no/low income will take eons to repay $1.685.000, even if made in installments. I doubt it would even be a serious option unless you were wealthy.