THE length of criminal sentences in Canberra is often falling well short of appropriate community standards, says the ACT committee of the Victims of Crime Assistance League (VOCAL).

“We have been alarmed for many years about many examples, particularly in recent months, where apparently inadequate sentencing is having a significant impact on victims of crime, their families, and the community,” the committee said in a press statement issued today (October 12). 

“Given recent concerns raised by the Australian Federal Police Association, the Department of Public Prosecutions and others calling for a review of sentencing in the ACT, VOCAL agrees that it is well past the time to undertake an independent review. 

“The ACT director of Public Prosecutions’ office reported that it had filed a much greater number of appeals against criminal sentences for serious crimes last financial year than in the previous financial year. 

“Extraordinarily, it is reported that almost 70 per cent of those appeals in 2021/22 were successful. We must ask if that level of appeal, and associated success rate of appeal, is well above any other jurisdiction in Australia.”

The committee said such a high level of successful appeals wouldn’t be tolerated in other areas of the community, and it indicated sentencing for serious crimes in the ACT needed to be carefully and independently reviewed. 

“Such a high level of appeal, and high success rate, is placing unnecessary financial and other demands on the legal system – resources which could be much better directed to other matters,” the committee said.  

“With a significant number of serious offenders back in the community after an inadequate sentence, this does not inspire confidence in the legal system in the ACT, nor a feeling of safety on our streets. 

“Just what are the social and personal costs of having serious offenders being released far too early? We have seen frequent examples of these costs (including victims losing their lives) in the community in recent years, and especially in recent months. 

“The decision to undertake a review into the serious matter of sentencing should not be left to Minister [Shane] Rattenbury alone, who appears not to have the time nor the inclination to undertake a review when the community is clearly crying out for it.” 

The committee said that if there was no consistency nor integrity (in relation to legal guidelines) in sentencing, then the community was very likely to further lose faith in the systems of law and government which were in existence to redress (as far as is possible) the serious effects of crime. 

At the community level, the ACT government had for many years ceased to fund VOCAL (ACT) which was continuing to struggle to provide support to victims of crime.

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