An Analysis of Public Attitudes Toward Property-Proportional Fines: Understanding Supporting and Opposing Arguments

The discourse surrounding the reform of the existing total fine system and the potential implementation of a property-proportional fine system as an alternative has been extensive and sustained. While the property-proportional fine system remains unimplemented, scholarly discourse regarding the necessity and legitimacy of fine system reform has been robust in both legal and policy domains. This study addresses a significant gap in the literature concerning public perceptions of these systems, particularly given the importance of understanding societal views on penal rationality, acceptability, and equality of punitive effects.The empirical analysis utilized secondary data from Park Mi-sook et al.'s (2020) comprehensive public opinion survey on the fine system. The dataset, comprising responses from 1,063 participants via an online survey, revealed that 75.6% (n=804) favored the total fine system, while 24.4% (n=259) opposed it. The research methodology focused on identifying and analyzing typological differences in the rationales for supporting or opposing the property-proportional fine system. This analysis revealed distinct structural characteristics among proponents and opponents. Specifically, supporters were categorized into six distinct typologies: punishment effect expectation, multi-faceted positive effect expectation, detention reduction expectation, positive perception of individual economic power identification system, defaulter reduction expectation, and court trust expectation. Conversely, opponents were classified into four categories: punishment validity negation, multi-faceted negative effect prediction, defaulter resolution impossibility, and negative perception of individual economic power identification system. Furthermore, the study examined the correlations between these typological classifications and various factors, including demographic characteristics, prior experience with fines, and awareness of the fine system.