Survey Results Give Victorians a Say on Sentencing
The Victorian Government has published the results of the MyViews Sentencing Survey, in which more than 18,500 Victorians took part.
"The high level of responsiveness to the survey confirms the importance Victorians place on the just and effective operation of our criminal justice system and on the consequences that follow from criminal behaviour,” Attorney-General, Robert Clark said.
The survey consultation was available online through the MyViews website from 27 July to 26 August this year, and was also accessible via Department of Justice service centres and various media outlets.
Citizens were asked to hand down a sentence based on 17 ‘what if’ criminal scenarios. Respondents were then asked to determine how the influence of a number of potential factors would tend to increase or decrease the sentences they would impose.
The scenarios that attracted the highest average sentence levels were scenarios:
- involving murder (life imprisonment)
- large-scale commercial drug trafficking (21-25 years imprisonment)
- arson causing death (21-25 years imprisonment).
The survey results revealed respondents were inclined to increase their sentences if the crime:
- severely affected victims
- was premeditated
- involved a continuing attack against an incapacitated victim.
Respondents were most likely to reduce sentences if the offender:
- did not have a criminal record
- pleaded guilty straight away
- helped police to arrest co-offenders
- expressed genuine remorse
- had completed a rehabilitation program.
Mr Clark thanked participants for the time and thought they had given to completing the survey, and said the results had provided valuable feedback and would help shape future government reforms.
To access the full results of the Sentencing Survey, visit the MyViews website.