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Jurors' views of suspended sentences
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 00:45 authored by Catherine WarnerCatherine Warner, Caroline SpiranovicCaroline SpiranovicThis article examines jurors’ views on sentencing from trials returning guilty verdicts where the offender has been sentenced to a wholly suspended sentence or where jurors have suggested a wholly suspended sentence as the most appropriate sentencing outcome. It challenges the poor public image of suspended sentences and provides further evidence that informed judgement on sentencing issues reveals a public that is not as punitive as is commonly portrayed. However, rather than claiming that the findings support the intrinsic worth of wholly suspended sentences, it is suggested that they indicate a desire to avoid immediate prison sentences in many cases. In other words it shows there is considerable support for non-custodial options in the kinds of cases that attract wholly suspended sentences, even in the case of some crimes of violence.
History
Publication title
Australian & New Zealand Journal of CriminologyVolume
47Pagination
141-159ISSN
0004-8658Department/School
Faculty of LawPublisher
Sage Publications Ltd.Place of publication
United kingdomRights statement
Copyright 2013 The Author(s) Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.navRepository Status
- Restricted