Reviewing reforms to the law of suspended sentences in the Australian Capital Territory

Suspended sentences have been the subject of recent or current review in several Australian jurisdictions. This article presents findings from a recent review of suspended sentences in the ACT conducted on behalf of the ACT Law Reform Advisory Council, and the ACT Government�s response to that review. The article reports on recent trends in the use of suspended sentences in the ACT, and observes on the quality of publicly available sentencing data. Supreme Court data are presented on the age, gender, plea and prior record of offenders receiving wholly suspended sentences in the ACT, as well as data on the length of sentences and operational periods imposed, the conditions of sentence and the mitigating factors cited by the court. The policy implications for further inquiry and human rights implications are also considered.