Punishment and community protection were the most common considerations when Queenslanders think about sentencing, new research has revealed.
The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council (QSAC) has released the research brief, Community views on the importance of sentencing purposes, this month.
It found community views shift depending on the type of offence, whether the person has offended before and how harmful the behaviour is perceived to be.
Repeat offending strongly shaped community views, often more than the type of offence.
Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council Chair Kerry O’Brien said the findings showed community views on sentencing were far from uniform.
“People draw on different scenarios and assumptions when forming their views on sentencing,” Mr O’Brien said.
“These insights help us understand what shapes Queenslanders’ views and how people weigh the different purposes of sentencing.
“It is important to note that this research was completed before the introduction of the new sentencing purpose that recognises the harm done to a victim, so we cannot yet say how the community views its relative importance.
“What the findings do suggest, however, is that people respond strongly to offences they see as causing greater harm, so future research may show that victim harm becomes a significant factor in how Queenslanders weigh sentencing purposes.”
The research identified five key findings about what shapes community views on sentencing.
The type of offence had a clear influence on how participants ranked sentencing purposes. The offence of drug possession tended to prompt a focus on deterrence and rehabilitation.
Assault causing injury led to stronger preferences for deterrence, punishment and denunciation, while home burglary prompted participants to favour deterrence, community protection and punishment.
Participants were far more likely to prioritise punishment when considering a repeat offender.
Perceptions of harm also played a significant role. Offences seen as having broader impacts on the community, such as assault and burglary, prompted support for punishment, community protection and deterrence.
Offences viewed as causing limited harm, such as drug possession, saw participants shift towards rehabilitation and deterrence.
Community views on sentencing were also influenced by socially acceptable behaviour.
Anti-social behaviour such as violence, was seen as a clear breach of basic expectations with many participants believing offenders should face consequences.
Participants who considered the underlying causes of offending were more likely to prioritise rehabilitation and considered factors such as addiction, disadvantage and mental health issues.
The support for rehabilitation tended to fall away in cases involving repeat offending, where punishment and community protection were seen as more appropriate.
The Queensland Government adopted the new sentencing purpose to recognise the harm done by the offender to a victim after recommendations from QSAC.
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