Entries by category: Sentencing

Being sent to prison is no more effective in reducing the risk of future re-offending than being threatened with prison, according to research conducted by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.  "The recidivism of offenders given suspended sentences: a comparison with full-time imprisonment" by Rohan Lulham, Don Weatherburn and Lorana Bartels compares a group of offenders given a suspended sentence of imprisonment with a group of offenders given a sentence of full-time imprisonment.

In cases where the offender had no previous experience of imprisonment, the Bureau found no significant difference in the likelihood of re-conviction between those who received a full-time sentence of imprisonment and those who were given a suspended sentence of imprisonment.  In cases where the offender had been previously sent to prison, the Bureau found offenders sent to prison were significantly more likely to re-offend than matched offenders given a suspended sentence of imprisonment.

For additional information about sentencing, and the use of suspended sentences, LIAC's Hot Topics 55: Sentencing (2005) provides a useful overview.