SCOTSMAN.COM VIEW

Criminals owe Scottish courts fines of more than £5m

If a criminal is receiving any benefit of any sort from the government then it should be paid into a special account until the sum reached totals the debt. At this stage the debt can be cleared and the government can once again pay benefits to the now ex-criminal. – old clothes and porridge Fines should be a punishment for the crime committed, and if they fail to pay the fine then a longer sentence than the initial sentence should automatically apply. In addition, the full sentence should be served with a decision made after this on whether to release the offender or not. – Ohmi Goad For a punishment to be effective it has to hurt. If a wealthy individual is fined £200 it will have no effect on his behaviour. – jbp101 How many times have we seen offenders smirking and punching the air as they leave the courts? They know the weakness of our justice system and are happy to continue to exploit it in the knowledge that failure to pay fines will earn them no more than a tap on the wrist. –The Ayrshire bard