NCJ Number
144160
Journal
Sentencing Trends Issue: 3 Dated: (June 1992) Pages: complete issue
Date Published
1992
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The impact of the Sentencing Act 1989 on sentencing in the local courts in New South Wales, Australia was studied using data from the Judicial Commission's computerized information system containing data on sentencing in New South Wales.
Abstract
The analysis considered 225,820 records, including 109,392 from the 15 months before the law took effect on September 24, 1989 and the remainder from the 15 months after the law took effect. Findings revealed that offense and offender characteristics had only negligible changes, but sentences changed following the law's introduction. The most common offenses were traffic law offenses; public order offenses such as gambling, prostitution, and disorderly conduct; theft offenses; offenses against the person; and drug law offenses. The use of fines, by far the most common disposition in the local courts, decreased, although magistrates tended to administer slightly heavier monetary penalties overall. Similarly, the use of imprisonment decreased, and an additional 1,156 offenders were added to the community service order and periodic detention programs. However, these changes are the result not only of the Sentencing Act but also of other legislative changes such as the Periodic Detention of Prisoners (Amendment) Act 1989 and the Community Service Orders (Amendment) Act 1989. Figures and tables