Originally Posted by
howsteepisit
You are the advocating mandatory fines. With mandatory fines the case cannot be dealt with on and individual basis. If you were to day that judges are not passing stiff enough sentences, then I would be so against it. Even though studies show that making more severe sentences do not discourage crime, I am not against that in egregious cases, but the judge must have some discretion as you say, treating each case as the facts warrant.
Motorists killing pedestrians and cyclists
are egregious cases! Mandatory fines are necessary and just part of the entire possible punishment. When I speak of the individual case, I am talking about the case in front of the bench, then and there. I am talking about a future case and how the mandatory fine in the present case might prevent future obedience and/or disobedience.
The person in front of the judge will be the one punished, and more severely than has been the case in past instances. There will always be another one coming up, but the one who is being dealt with right now is the one to be concerned with, not the future "what ifs..."