Media Release
Embargoed until 00:01 a.m. (AEST) Tuesday 18 June 2024
The Sentencing Advisory Council has today published a new report showing sentencing trends from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2022 for all criminal court jurisdictions in Victoria.
The report is the first of a new annual series that presents high-level data about each court jurisdiction in Victoria, including how many people were sentenced each year, the types of offences people were sentenced for, the types of sentences* they received, and how long their prison sentences were.
Some of the key data points include:
- Supreme Court: 746 people (including five companies) were sentenced in the Supreme Court (0.08% of all cases in Victoria during this time). The vast majority (80%) of offenders received a prison sentence, and the average prison sentence, excluding life sentences, was 12 years. Homicide offences were the most common crimes sentenced in the Supreme Court (59% of cases).
- County Court: 16,616 people (including 81 companies) were sentenced in the County Court (1.8% of all cases). Just over half (54%) of offenders received a prison sentence, and about one-quarter of all prison sentences (24%) were longer than 5 years. Sexual assault offences were the most common crimes sentenced in the County Court (19% of cases).
- Magistrates’ Court: Over 873,000 people (including 14,615 companies) were sentenced in the Magistrates’ Court (94.4% of all cases). Just over half (54%) of offenders received a fine. There was some growth in the values of fines imposed on companies (averaging $3,955 over the 10 years), but the values of fines for individuals were relatively unchanged (the median fine was $500 for most of the period). Traffic and vehicle offences were the most common crimes sentenced in the Magistrates’ Court (39% of cases).
- Children’s Court: 34,472 children and young people were sentenced in the Children’s Court (3.9% of all cases). The number of children and young people sentenced in the Children’s court each year fell 51.4% during the 10-year period. The most common crime was assault and injury offences (26% of cases). Further, while good behaviour bonds were the most common sentence in the Children’s Court overall (27% of Children’s Court cases), youth diversion has become the most common outcome every year since 2016–17.
More than three-quarters of individual offenders in each jurisdiction were male: 77% in the Children’s Court, 78% in the Magistrates’ Court, 90% in the County Court, and 89% in the Supreme Court.
Quotes Attributable to Sentencing Advisory Council CEO, Dr Paul McGorrery
‘This new report brings together, for the first time, high-level sentencing trends for all the different court jurisdictions in Victoria.’
‘It shows the most common offences dealt with in each jurisdiction range from traffic offences in the Magistrates’ Court to homicide offences in the Supreme Court. It shows that of the 72,000 prison sentences imposed in the Magistrates’ Court, at least half of them were 3 months or less. And it shows that while the types of sentences imposed in adult courts have not changed much in 10 years, the Children’s Court is now diverting many children away from the justice system, which we know will reduce the risk that they will reoffend and ultimately make Victoria safer.’
‘The Council will be producing this new report with updated data every year to show, at a glance, key sentencing trends in Victoria. It will likely be of interest to both policymakers and the broader community.’
About the Sentencing Advisory Council
The Council is an independent statutory body established in 2004. It has a number of legislative functions, including conducting research on sentencing, consulting on sentencing matters, publishing sentencing statistics, and advising the Attorney-General on sentencing matters.
*This report includes diversion outcomes in both the Magistrates’ Court and the Children’s Court. These are not actually ‘sentences’ because there is no finding of guilt in those cases. Diversion plans are, however, an important outcome of criminal proceedings and are described as ‘sentences’ in the report for simplicity.
