What’s Really Wrong with Fining Crimes? On the Hard Treatment of Criminal Monetary Fines

Abstract

Among the advocates of expressive theories of punishment, there is a strong consensus that monetary fines cannot convey the message of censure that is required to punish serious crimes or crimes against the person (e.g., rape). Money is considered an inappropriate symbol to express condemnation. In this article, I argue that this sentiment is correct, although not for the reasons suggested by advocates of expressivism. The monetary day-fine should not be understood as a simple deprivation of money, but as a punishment that reduces the offender’s capacity to consume for a certain period of time. Conceived in this manner, I argue that it is perfectly suitable to convey censure. However, the practical impossibility of ensuring that the person who pays the fine is the same person who has been convicted of the offense seriously undermines the acceptability of the monetary fine as an instrument of censure. Minimizing the risk of the fine’s hard treatment being transferred to third parties is a necessary condition for the monetary fine to be considered a viable alternative to lengthy prison sentences.

Agresión sexual por engaño

“…Por otro lado, el reproche propio de la agresión sexual, aunque se castigue con una pena de multa, sigue siendo inadecuado. Dejando a un lado la cuestión de si cabe censurar adecuadamente un delito sexual con una multa 138 , lo cierto es que al catalogar un engaño sexual sobre un factor periférico como agresión sexual no solo se lesiona el derecho del autor a no ser reprochado en exceso, sino que se banaliza el injusto de la auténtica agresión sexual y, con ello, el derecho de la víctima a que su injusto sea reconocido adecuadamente. Esto último ha sido adecuadamente puesto de manifiesto por un importante sector de la literatura 139 : quizá todo engaño en materia sexual es inmoral o injusto, pero lo que está claro es que entre la agresión sexual violenta y el injusto que sufre quien consiente una relación sexual en la esperanza de que su pareja cumpla una promesa de matrimonio hay una diferencia cualitativa esencial.…”