There is a dated legal meaning of the verb "compound" that means to "settle a legal dispute by paying a fine instead of taking the matter to court." This term is still used in such places as Singapore and Malaysia. So a "compound fine" is a fine that you pay instead of going to court. The compound fine is less than the normal fine, because it is meant to encourage you to pay the compound fine and not take the matter to court. Going to court costs you more money, and it costs the state money and time to prosecute the case. If you do not pay the compound fine, you have to go to court and pay the "regular fine" plus court costs. The court costs can be quite high. So it is an attractive offer to pay the compound fine instead of taking the matter to court. In addition, the state saves money and time by offering the lower, compound fine. If people pay the compound fine, than the state does not have to use money and time to prosecute your case in court. See 1 This article: http://app.subcourts.gov.sg/subcourts/page.aspx?pageid=52917 2. At the bottom of that article, you can click on pdf files in English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. These files are flyers that illustrate the meaning of "compound fine" quite clearly and easily. 3. Note that the article and flyers talk about minor fines, but the situation is the same for the fines mentioned in the article you were reading.

Oh, I get it. A compound is where your belongings are held, until you pay a fine. Your dog or car, could be placed in the compound, to get them out you pay the fine.

could you please give the context where you found these two words? I can't think of a way in which they would have a similar meaning