Fine Defined and Explained
A fine can be a payment of money demanded of a person convicted of a crime or a misdemeanor; the fine is imposed by a court as punishment.3 min read
Definition of "Fine"
- Payment of money demanded of a person convicted of a crime or a misdemeanor; the fine is imposed by a court as punishment.
- Sums imposed as penalty for certain acts and/or omissions that violate a law.
Fine has various meanings including:
- A sum of money, which, by judgment of a competent jurisdiction, is required to be paid for the punishment of an offence;
- To designate the amount paid by the tenant, on his entrance, to the lord;
- To signify a special kind of conveyance.
Criminal Law
Pecuniary punishment imposed by a lawful tribunal, upon a person convicted of crime or misdemeanor.
The amount of the fine is frequently left to the discretion of the court, who ought to proportion the fine to the offence. To prevent the abuse of excessive fines, the Constitution of the United States directs that 'excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.'
Conveyance
An amicable composition or agreement of a suit, either actual or fictitious, by leave of the court, by which the lands in question become or are acknowledged to be the right of one of the parties.
A fine is so called, because it puts an end, not only to the suit thus commenced, but also to all other suits and controversies concerning the same matter. Such concords have been in use in the civil law and are called transactions whereof they say thus: "Transactiones sunt de eis quae in controversia sunt, a, lite futura aut pendente ad certam compositionem reducuntur, dando aliquid vel accipiendo."