Critics attack ‘high fines for high earners’
Opposition politicians have attacked the Government over proposals to link fines for minor offences to earnings.
The Conservatives are warning that the fines would hit the middle classes, while the Liberal Democrats said it could undermine public confidence in the justice system.
Under the Management of Offenders and Sentencing Bill, published on Thursday, a new system of “day” fines would take into account the ability of the offender to pay as well as the seriousness of the offence.
The maximum fine for an offence like failing to stop after an accident would triple to £15,000.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke said it was fair that better-off people paid more than those who earned less.
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis commented: “This is a cynical attempt by Labour to make the middle-classes pick up the bill for their failure to manage the criminal justice system. This aspect of the bill is less about justice, and more about raising money.
“The Government are trying to use fines as an alternative to prison. Those who deserve to be in prison should be in prison – sentencing should be determined by the crime not by the number of prison places available.”
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Mark Oaten added: “Local judges and magistrates already have the power to set fines and can take people’s income into account when deciding the level of a fine.
“It’s better to decide the level of fines on a case by case basis than have a central system that could create a great sense of unfairness.”
Other proposals contained in the bill, which is intended to ensure prison is reserved for the most dangerous offenders, include extended use of electronic monitoring for offenders on community sentences and bail, and the use of polygraph test for sex offenders on bail.
It will also establish the aims of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and give the Home Secretary greater powers to direct how probation boards can contract with the private or voluntary sector.
Prisons Minister Paul Goggins said: “The greater use of new technology and other sentencing reforms will put us in a better position to ensure offenders receive effective punishments whilst ensuring that prison is reserved for the most dangerous and persistent offenders.”
