News analysis

The dollars and sense of pegging fines to an offender's income

Admin challenges aside, experts cite issues like sentencing aims and impact, bias

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Should the high-salaried pay higher fines than low-income earners?

That is the debate that has resurfaced this month following a district court's decision to fine Devandran Karunakaran, a managing partner of a law firm, $15,000 for molesting three women here.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 10, 2019, with the headline The dollars and sense of pegging fines to an offender's income. Subscribe