Sentence Indication and Specified Sentence Discounts: Final Report is the Council’s response to the then Attorney-General’s request for advice on the merits of formalising a sentence indication scheme in Victoria. The Council was also asked to investigate explicit sentence discounts.
Under a sentence indication scheme, the judge (or magistrate) is given an agreed summary of the facts, and any other relevant material, before a trial commences. The judicial officer indicates whether or not they would be likely to impose an immediate custodial sentence if the accused pleaded guilty. A sentence discount is a reduction of the sentence that an offender would otherwise receive, because of a guilty plea.
The final report outlines the Council's key findings and recommendations on the adoption of a sentence indication scheme in Victoria.
Authored and published by the Sentencing Advisory Council
© Copyright State of Victoria, Sentencing Advisory Council, 2007