Terence Eden’s Blog on Nostr: It has never been cheaper to commit a crime ...
It has never been cheaper to commit a crime
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/10/it-has-never-been-cheaper-to-commit-a-crime/
The UK has what is known as a "Standard Scale" of fines for criminal acts. For example, breaking the law may incur "a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale".
Part of the reasoning behind this, so I understand, is to make it simpler for the Government to update the value of those fines. Rather than having to change every law in the land - and have tedious votes on them - it's possible to change one law and have its provisions cascade down to all others. Efficient!
The modern Standard Scale was brought in by the Criminal Justice Act 1991. The fines are:
Level on the scale
Offence committed
11 April 1983 - 1 October 1992
Offence committed
after 1 October 1992
1
£25
£200
2
£50
£500
3
£200
£1,000
4
£500
£2,500
5
£1,000
£5,000
(Source: Sentencing Act 2020)
As you can see, the fines increased quite dramatically from their old value.
And, since 1992 the fines have increased by... nothing!
The Bank of England's Inflation calculator estimates that a £5,000 fine in 1992 should be approximately £10,000 in 2023.
As I understand it, the Standard Scale can be increased via a Statutory Instrument. With the stroke of a pen (and a lot of behind the scenes work) the Justice Secretary could increase these fines so they kept up with inflation.
And that nearly happened! In 2014, a Draft statutory Instrument was published. It proposed increasing the Levels 1-4 fines by 400% - so Level 4 would go from £2,500 to £10,0001.
Quite why it was never published, I was not able to find out.
All I know is that during this time of rapid inflation, it appears that the Government are doing nothing to make sure crime doesn't pay.
It is estimated that in 2021, 77% of all offenders received a fine. That's approximately 737,000 offenders who are paying less than they would have thirty years ago.
The very least the Government could do is ensure that the criminals who do get caught, charged, and convicted have to pay a fine which reflects the severity of their crime.
The Level 5 fine had already become a potentially unlimited fine due to Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 - Section 85. ↩
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/10/it-has-never-been-cheaper-to-commit-a-crime/
#crime #government #politics
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/10/it-has-never-been-cheaper-to-commit-a-crime/
The UK has what is known as a "Standard Scale" of fines for criminal acts. For example, breaking the law may incur "a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale".
Part of the reasoning behind this, so I understand, is to make it simpler for the Government to update the value of those fines. Rather than having to change every law in the land - and have tedious votes on them - it's possible to change one law and have its provisions cascade down to all others. Efficient!
The modern Standard Scale was brought in by the Criminal Justice Act 1991. The fines are:
Level on the scale
Offence committed
11 April 1983 - 1 October 1992
Offence committed
after 1 October 1992
1
£25
£200
2
£50
£500
3
£200
£1,000
4
£500
£2,500
5
£1,000
£5,000
(Source: Sentencing Act 2020)
As you can see, the fines increased quite dramatically from their old value.
And, since 1992 the fines have increased by... nothing!
The Bank of England's Inflation calculator estimates that a £5,000 fine in 1992 should be approximately £10,000 in 2023.
As I understand it, the Standard Scale can be increased via a Statutory Instrument. With the stroke of a pen (and a lot of behind the scenes work) the Justice Secretary could increase these fines so they kept up with inflation.
And that nearly happened! In 2014, a Draft statutory Instrument was published. It proposed increasing the Levels 1-4 fines by 400% - so Level 4 would go from £2,500 to £10,0001.
Quite why it was never published, I was not able to find out.
All I know is that during this time of rapid inflation, it appears that the Government are doing nothing to make sure crime doesn't pay.
It is estimated that in 2021, 77% of all offenders received a fine. That's approximately 737,000 offenders who are paying less than they would have thirty years ago.
The very least the Government could do is ensure that the criminals who do get caught, charged, and convicted have to pay a fine which reflects the severity of their crime.
The Level 5 fine had already become a potentially unlimited fine due to Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 - Section 85. ↩
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/10/it-has-never-been-cheaper-to-commit-a-crime/
#crime #government #politics