NSW: US expert says mandatory sentencing hasn t worked

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2000
NSW: US expert says mandatory sentencing hasn t worked

A leading US criminal justice expert says mandatory sentencing is not an effective
deterrent for offenders.

Associate Professor CANDACE MCCOY told the Wollongong University Law Faculty that after
10 years of mandatory sentencing laws in most states, their deterrent value had still
not been proven.

She says the law's main effect is to shift discretion from the judiciary to prosecutors,
reducing transparency and accountability.

But for those offenders convicted under mandatory sentencing, Prof MCCOY says prison
terms have increased significantly.

The comments follow nation-wide debate over mandatory sentencing laws in the Northern
Territory and Western Australia.

The controversy was partly resolved after the NT government agreed to send some young
offenders to diversionary programs.

AAP RTV jb/sb/gmw/jn

KEYWORD: MANDATORY ACADEMIC (SYDNEY)

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