Day-fine

It has been introduced in different countries for a variety of reasons: to replace a short-term imprisonment sentence, to make the finding system more fair across different income groups, to enhance deterrence.

[4] Among those jurisdiction are Denmark (Danish: dagbøde), Estonia (Estonian: päevamäär), Finland (Finnish: päiväsakko), France (French: Jour-amende), Germany (German: Tagessatz), Portugal (Portuguese: Astreinte), Sweden (Swedish: dagsbot), Switzerland, and Macau (Chinese: 刑法典).

Violations of the Danish Penal Code may be punishable by up to 60 day-fines, when the severity of a crime does not call for a custodial sentence.

Exceptions include fines for driving under the influence or without a valid license, which (although not technically day-fines) scale with income.

For crimes warranting no more than six months in prison, the fine may be summarily ordered by the prosecutor if the suspect does not want the court to handle the case.

[15] If the prosecution or the injured party do not demand a higher punishment than a fine, the district court has a quorum with a single member.

[22] The police can, however, access the taxation data of Finnish citizens and permanent residents via a real-time datalink, so the chance of lying successfully is minor.

For example, in 2001, a Finnish businessman with a yearly income of 10 million euros, received a relatively mild punishment of six day-fines, amounting €26,000, for driving though a red traffic light.

This has given rise to some criticism, most vividly expressed by a Finnish member of parliament, avid motorist Klaus Bremer and other MPs of right-wing parties.

This "conversion punishment" (Finnish: muuntorangaistus, Swedish: förvandlingsstraff) is only ever applied to court-ordered fines, not those issued by police.

A court of law imposes the fine based on the economic and financial situations and personal burdens of a convict.

[33][34] The scheme was replaced by requirements that magistrates consider an offender's means when imposing a fine, just not according to a mathematical formula.

[34] The New York Times reported on an experiment with day fines which took place in 1988 in Staten Island, which was a partnership between the local courts and District Attorney, and the Vera Institute of Justice.