Civil and financial penalties and ancillary orders

There are several types of penal or punitive sentences that the courts in England and Wales may impose on an adult or corporate defendant following conviction for a criminal offence. This subtopic contains useful information explaining the various orders which the sentencing courts have the power to impose on convicted offenders.

Fines

Fines are one of the most common types of penalty imposed on those convicted of criminal offences and the main penalty available in respect of corporate criminal behaviour. A fine is a type of financial penalty imposed either instead of or in addition to any other sentence. A fine can be imposed in the Crown Court or the magistrates’ court and should always be proportionate to the gravity of the offence.

In the magistrates' court, the maximum level of fine that the magistrates can impose is set out by the statute that creates the offence. For many summary offences, the maximum fine levels are fixed according to a standard scale, contained in the Sentencing Act 2020 (SA 2020) also known as the Sentencing Code. The standard scale ranges from £200

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