Excessive fines that just don’t fit the ‘crime’

A central tenet of our justice system is that the punishment should fit the crime. The most highly experienced and qualified legal brains sit as judges, prounouncing sentences and reviewing sentences when appropriate because it is critical that the right remedy is put in place for crimes and misdemeanors. Often there can be anger when a very severe crime does not get the most severe punishement - the case of the Subway stabbing featured on page 29 is an example. Yet it seems that when it comes to the lowest level misdemeanors this important bastion of crime and punishment crumbles. How can it be right for a family who made a simple mistake and missed paying for parking to be fined £60? Figures of £60 and £100 are now commonly demanded by private car parks that wait to pounce on the slightest infringement. The family hit by the big bill had parked outside Chiquito in Hampton and enjoyed a great family occasion. They had not realised - or it had not been made clear - that if they stayed over three hours they would be fined. Recently the government acted to outlaw car clamping on private land and the exorbitant release fees that went with it. It was nothing more than a scam and was rightly banned. These huge fines for very minor parking misdemeanors are equally over the top and unfair. £10 or even £20 for overstaying or forgetting to get a ticket is more appropriate to the offence. Parking firms have the right to protect their interests but many have now turned the ruthless capitalisation on minor infringements into a major revenue stream, and it’s high time the Government acted to outlaw these excessive so-called ‘fines’.