Research Monograph 22 – Circle sentencing in New South Wales: A Review and Evaluation

Paperback, 64 pp, October 2003, ISBN 0 7313 5604 7
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Circle sentencing was introduced on a trial basis at the Local Court in Nowra, NSW, in February 2002. This study reviews and evaluates the first 12 months of the trial’s operation. The review and assessment is broken into four parts:

  • Part 1 outlines the background to circle sentencing and describes its objectives and procedures
  • Part 2 provides an analysis of the transcripts and other documentation relating to the process, and endeavours to demonstrate how the system operates in practice
  • Part 3 presents the results of a survey of key participants in circle sentencing undertaken to determine what they think of the process and generally gauge their level of satisfaction with it
  • Part 4 provides an assessment of circle sentencing in terms of its potential contribution to the administration of criminal justice in NSW.

The study reveals that circle sentencing in Nowra has succeeded on a number of levels and there is a high degree of satisfaction in the process among key participants.

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