The New South Wales Sentencing Council

Source: (2008) In Arie Freiberg and Karen Gelb, Eds., Penal Populism, Sentencing Councils and Sentencing Policy. Cullompton, Devon UK: Willan Publishing. Pp.126-137

The New South Wales Sentencing Council has been in existence for over three years. When established it was the first of its kind in Australia with its own particular constitution and stated functions. Its existing functions have perhaps limited the Council’s full potential consistent with its established aims. It is not surprising that operational experience and practice have identified issues, particularly as to functions, that could usefully be visited and further addressed to permit the Council to perform and discharge the purposes and reasons for which it was established even better, and to enhance further the opportunity of the wider community to make a major contribution to the development of sentencing law and practice in New South Wales. (Excerpt)