Parking Tickets and Criminal Fines
We had a great debate in class today with most of the kids taking the position that Parking Tickets should be based on the income of the offender. So, someone who makes $10,000/year would be fined $30, but someone who makes $1 million/year would be fined $3,000.
Their argument was:
1. Such fines are to act as a deterrent.
2. Whether something actually acts as a deterrent is contigent on the effect of the fine, not the exact amount of it.
3. When a rich person or company breaks the law, they must be fined more heavily to actually deter them.
The status quo support was, "That wouldn't be fair if people were fined equally!" But I couldn't get a good explanation of what exactly was not fair about it.
Can anyone help me out on this one? What is the point of parking tickets if not to deter? (Other than just to make money, which the new plan would actually be more effective than the current one.)
Their argument was:
1. Such fines are to act as a deterrent.
2. Whether something actually acts as a deterrent is contigent on the effect of the fine, not the exact amount of it.
3. When a rich person or company breaks the law, they must be fined more heavily to actually deter them.
The status quo support was, "That wouldn't be fair if people were fined equally!" But I couldn't get a good explanation of what exactly was not fair about it.
Can anyone help me out on this one? What is the point of parking tickets if not to deter? (Other than just to make money, which the new plan would actually be more effective than the current one.)
posted by Xian Franzinger Barrett at 12:08 AM
3 Comments:
White people should be fined more.
White people should be fined more.
hee hee.
I actually had a student who argued that. She said that because of privilege and unequal salaries based on color, that race should be factored into the cost for fines and social services.
Interesting point of view, I thought.
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