The Australian national jury sex offence sentencing study

The purpose of this article is to inform the judiciary and the legal community generally about a national study commencing in early 2014 which will involve the higher courts in all States and Territories. The study will explore the views of jurors about the sentencing of sex offenders as to the appropriateness of the sentence imposed in the actual case as well as jurors’ more general views about sentencing. The study builds on the findings of ground-breaking research undertaken in Tasmania (and subsequently extended to Victoria) which used an innovative method of ascertaining public opinion about sentencing. According to these findings, jurors’ opinions about sentencing are not as punitive as public opinion polls would suggest and it appears that specific knowledge of a case may moderate harsher views about sentencing.