Yesterday, Thursday 27th November 2014, the Tasmanian Parliament passed the State’s first mandatory sentencing laws.
The Government followed suit by announcing more mandatory sentencing proposals will be brought into Parliament in the new year.
“Tasmania would be better off without mandatory sentencing because it is an expensive1 and ineffective2 policy that will lead to unjust outcomes in individual cases3”, said Richard Griggs, Tasmanian Director of Civil Liberties Australia.
“We can’t afford to be adopting crime prevention strategies that cost a lot of money but don’t work and erode fundamental principles of justice that have taken centuries to develop.
“I urge the Government to tackle crime by focussing on creating jobs, wealth and opportunity. That’s the only consistent and proven way to lead people away from crime”, Richard Griggs concluded.
Further comment – Richard Griggs, 0438 252 387
1 it costs $382/day to detain someone in the Tasmanian prison system. 2014 Productivity Commission Report on Government Services. Refer Table 8A.7: http://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/132324/rogs-2014-volumec-chapter8.pdf
2 in its 2008 Final Report on Sentencing, the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute concluded that there is no evidence that mandatory sentences are an effective deterrent to crime. Refer page 208: http://www.utas.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/283811/Sentencing.pdf
3 for detailed analysis of the unjust outcomes generated by mandatory sentencing, refer Law Council of Australia’s policy position on mandatory sentencing: http://www.lawcouncil.asn.au/lawcouncil/images/LCA-PDF/Policy_Position_-_Mandatory_Sentencing.pdf
Richard Griggs, Tasmanian Director of Civil Liberties Australia
