Among the advocates of expressive theories of punishment, there is a strong consensus that monetary fines cannot convey the message of censure that is required to punish serious crimes or crimes against the person (e.g., rape). Money is considered an inappropriate symbol to express condemnation. In this article, I argue that this sentiment is correct, although not for the reasons suggested by advocates of expressivism. The monetary day-fine should not be understood as a simple deprivation of money, but as a punishment that reduces the offender’s capacity to consume for a certain period of time. Conceived in this manner, I argue that it is perfectly suitable to convey censure. However, the practical impossibility of ensuring that the person who pays the fine is the same person who has been convicted of the offense seriously undermines the acceptability of the monetary fine as an instrument of censure. Minimizing the risk of the fine’s hard treatment being transferred to third parties is a necessary condition for the monetary fine to be considered a viable alternative to lengthy prison sentences.

在表达性惩罚理论的倡导者中，有一个强烈的共识，即罚款不能传达惩罚严重犯罪或针对人身的犯罪（例如强奸）所需的谴责信息。金钱被认为是表达谴责的不恰当符号。在本文中，我认为这种观点是正确的，尽管不是出于表现主义倡导者所建议的原因。货币日罚款不应理解为简单的剥夺金钱，而应理解为在一定时期内降低违法者消费能力的惩罚。以这种方式构思，我认为它非常适合传达谴责。然而，确保支付罚款的人与被定罪的人是同一个人，实际上是不可能的，这严重破坏了将罚款作为谴责手段的可接受性。将罚款的严厉待遇转移给第三方的风险最小化是罚款被认为是长期监禁的可行替代方案的必要条件。