Fine
When a fine is imposed, the convicted person must pay money to the court within a certain amount of time. The highest level of fine that can be given is set by law depending on which court the case is heard in.
The maximum fines set by law are:
- Justice of the peace court – up to £2,500
- Sheriff court less serious cases (summary) – up to £10,000.
- For more serious cases heard at the Sheriff Court or cases heard at the High Court, there is no maximum fine level.
A maximum fine can also be set by law for a particular crime. This can be lower or higher than the maximum amount set for the court.
Fines are based on how serious the crime is. Judges will also take into account how much the convicted person can pay. The person can be told to pay the fine all at once, or in smaller amounts over time by instalments. This might be a certain amount every week or every month. People who don’t keep up with payments can be taken back to court and another sentence can be given instead. This could be a Community Payback Order or a custodial sentence. More information is available here.
The most recent data shows that in 2022/23 there were 29,622 fines imposed in Scotland. You can find more information here.