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The standard scale is a system whereby financial criminal
Criminal law

The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential for unique and often severe impositions as punishment for failure to comply....
 penalties (fines) in legislation
Legislation

Legislation is law which has been promulgation by a legislature or other governing body. The term may refer to a single law, or the collective body of enacted law, while "statute" is also used to refer to a single law....
 have maximum levels set against a standard scale. Then, when inflation makes it necessary to increase the levels of the fines the legislator
Legislator

A legislator is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are usually politicians and are often elected by the people....
s need to modify only the scale rather than each individual piece of legislation.

In English law
English law

English law is the Legal systems of the world of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth of Nations countriesand the United States ....
, the reference in legislation will typically appear like so:
lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m4900591",this)' onMouseout='hide("m4900591")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Guernsey">Guernsey
Guernsey

The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Isles Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.As well as the island of Guernsey itself, it also includes Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, Burhou, Lihou and other islets....
 uses the UK standard scale for adopted UK legislation, and its own scale (called the uniform scale) for legislation originating in the States of Guernsey
States of Guernsey

The States of Guernsey is the parliament of the Island of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guernsey apply to Alderney and Sark as 'Bailiwick-wide legislation' with the consent of the governments of those Islands....
.

Guernsey's dependencies of Alderney
Alderney

Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands and a British Crown dependency. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It is long and wide....
 and Sark
Sark

Sark is a small island in the southwestern English Channel. It is one of the Channel Islands, is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, and as such is a British crown dependency....
 have their own distinct scales, although these are generally in-line with the Guernsey scale.



Alderney


Sark
Sark has its own standard scale, which is normally maintained at the same levels as Guernsey's.






Fines specified in prior legislation were converted to points on the standard scale by section 113C.



Isle of Man
Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , or Mann , is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical centre of the British Isles....
 uses the UK standard scale, but only in respect of Acts of Parliament that extend to the Isle of Man.






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The standard scale is a system whereby financial criminal
Criminal law

The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential for unique and often severe impositions as punishment for failure to comply....
 penalties (fines) in legislation
Legislation

Legislation is law which has been promulgation by a legislature or other governing body. The term may refer to a single law, or the collective body of enacted law, while "statute" is also used to refer to a single law....
 have maximum levels set against a standard scale. Then, when inflation makes it necessary to increase the levels of the fines the legislator
Legislator

A legislator is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are usually politicians and are often elected by the people....
s need to modify only the scale rather than each individual piece of legislation.

In English law
English law

English law is the Legal systems of the world of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth of Nations countriesand the United States ....
, the reference in legislation will typically appear like so:

Legislation and level of fines


Guernsey

Guernsey
Guernsey

The Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Isles Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.As well as the island of Guernsey itself, it also includes Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Brecqhou, Burhou, Lihou and other islets....
 uses the UK standard scale for adopted UK legislation, and its own scale (called the uniform scale) for legislation originating in the States of Guernsey
States of Guernsey

The States of Guernsey is the parliament of the Island of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guernsey apply to Alderney and Sark as 'Bailiwick-wide legislation' with the consent of the governments of those Islands....
.

Guernsey's dependencies of Alderney
Alderney

Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands and a British Crown dependency. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It is long and wide....
 and Sark
Sark

Sark is a small island in the southwestern English Channel. It is one of the Channel Islands, is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, and as such is a British crown dependency....
 have their own distinct scales, although these are generally in-line with the Guernsey scale.

  • The Uniform Scale of Fines (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 1989
  • Criminal Justice Act 1982 (Guernsey) Order 1992


Alderney
  • The Uniform Scale of Fines (Alderney) Law 1989 as amended by The Uniform Scale of Fines (Alderney) (Amendment) Ordinance 2007.


Sark
Sark has its own standard scale, which is normally maintained at the same levels as Guernsey's.

  • The Uniform Scale of Fines (Sark) Law, 1989 as amended by the Uniform Scale of Fines (Sark) (Amendment) Ordinance, 1992, the Uniform Scale of Fines (Sark) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2004, and the Uniform Scale of Fines (Sark) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2006.


Hong Kong

  • Chapter 221 Criminal Procedure Ordinance,


  • Chapter 221 Criminal Procedure Ordinance,


Fines specified in prior legislation were converted to points on the standard scale by section 113C.

Hong Kong standard scale
Level on the scale Maximum fine
1 HK$
Hong Kong dollar

The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of Hong Kong. It is the 9th most traded currency in the world. In English language, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies....
$2,000
2 $5,000
3 $10,000
4 $25,000
5 $50,000
6 $100,000


Isle of Man

The Isle of Man
Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , or Mann , is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical centre of the British Isles....
 uses the UK standard scale, but only in respect of Acts of Parliament that extend to the Isle of Man. It does not apply to Acts of Tynwald, which instead include specified amounts within the legislation.

  • Criminal Justice Act 1982 (An Act of Parliament) as extended to the Island by the Criminal Justice Act 1982 (Isle of Man) Order 1983, and amended by the .


Jersey

  • The Criminal Justice (Standard Scale of Fines) (Jersey) Law 1993


Jersey standard scale
Level on the scale Maximum fine
1 £
Pound sterling

----The pound sterling , subdivided into 100 pence , is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependency and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory....
50
2 £500
3 £2,000
4 £5,500


Above amounts .

United Kingdom

defines "the standard scale" for each United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 jurisdiction
Jurisdiction

In law, jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility....
 with reference to the following statutes.

The "Statutory maximum", which is the maximum fine which can be imposed by a summary court for a triable either way
Hybrid offence

A hybrid offence, dual offence, Crown option offence, dual procedure offence, or wobbler are the special class offences in the common law jurisdictions where the case may be prosecuted either summarily or as indictment....
 statutory offence, is similarly defined in the Interpretation Act so as to correspond to the "prescribed sum" (in effect to the maximum (level 5) fine on the standard scale, except in Scotland).

England and Wales
  • Criminal Justice Act 1982, (as amended by Criminal Justice Act 1991, )


Scotland
The setting of the levels of the standard scale of fines in Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
 is a matter devolved to the Scottish Government.

  • Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995,


With effect from 10 December 2007, the Criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007 has increased the "prescribed sum", and with it the "statutory maximum" from £5000 to £10000. The level of fines on the standard scale is unaltered.

Northern Ireland
  • Fines and Penalties (Northern Ireland) Order 1984, (as amended by Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1994, )


Scale
UK standard scale
Level on the scale Maximum fine
1 £
Pound sterling

----The pound sterling , subdivided into 100 pence , is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependency and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory....
200
2 £500
3 £1,000
4 £2,500
5 £5,000


The above amounts apply with respect to offences committed on or after the following dates:

  • in England and Wales
    England and Wales

    England and Wales is a legal unit within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom....
     and in Scotland, 1 October 1992 (by virtue of )


  • in Northern Ireland
    Northern Ireland

    conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
    , 9 January 1995 (by virtue of ).


The United Kingdom standard scale was extended in respect of certain offences to two Crown dependencies
Crown dependency

The Crown Dependencies are possessions of The Crown, as opposed to British overseas territory or colony of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Islands bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea....
:

  • the Isle of Man, with effect from 1 December 1992 (by virtue of )


  • Guernsey, with effect from 1 February 1993 (by virtue of ).


Historic
Between 1984 and 1992, the standard scale in England and Wales was as follows:

Scale between 1984 and 1992
Level on the scale Maximum fine
1 £50
2 £100
3 £400
4 £1,000
5 £2,000


Zimbabwe

  • The Criminal Penalties Amendment Act 2001, took effect from 20 May 2002


Further reading

  • (LRC 37-1991), Law Reform Commission of Ireland, 30 October 1991


See also

  • Penalty units
    Penalty units

    Breaches of statute law in Australia are usually prescribed in terms of penalty units or PUs. To establish a fine, multiply the number of penalty units by the amount....