‘Too lenient’ on crime

Readers have say on sentencing

MORE than half of Mercury readers think the sentences handed down in criminal matters are “too lenient”, according to the latest Big Issues survey.

While 56.01 per cent said sentencing in Tasmania was too lenient, 6.33 per cent said it was “too harsh” and 37.66 per cent said it was “about right”.

But Greg Barns SC, president of the Tasmanian Prisoners Legal Service, thinks we shouldn’t place too much stock in those figures.

“Surveys in relation to sentencing are notoriously unreliable, because unless you know all the facts of the case, it’s very difficult to make a proper assessment of the sentence,” he said.

Mr Barns pointed to work by Kate Warner, Emeritus Professor of Law and former Governor of Tasmania, which showed a “perception gap”, and that 52 per cent of jurors would choose a more lenient sentence than the judge.

He said if people read the sentencing remarks of a particular case, “I think you’d find that 56 per cent number would drop substantially”.

Mr Barns didn’t comment on whether Tasmanian sentencing was too harsh or too lenient, but said there was “too much reliance on prison” instead of “smart justice solutions, which actually reduces offending”.

“Prison doesn’t work, we know that, because four-to-five in 10 come back into the justice system within two years.”

The Big Issues survey also revealed that 58.38 per cent of respondents thought the age of criminal responsibility should be raised from 11 to 14.

Mr Barns said if “you sat down with some of the 40 per cent” who thought it shouldn’t, that number would “diminish” when they heard of the “horrors” underage offenders were subjected to at the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

The survey also showed nearly 70 per cent – 68.57 per cent – of respondents believed the state of Tasmania was not doing enough to improve the safety of children.

Mr Barns said the survey results sent a clear message to the government “to close Ashley today”.

Regarding community perceptions of crime and safety, the Big Issues survey showed 52.4 per cent of respondents weren’t worried about the levels of crime in their community, and 55.66 per cent said they felt safe walking the streets after dark.

A Tasmania Police spokesperson said the force’s annual report showed 90 per cent of Tasmanians felt safe at home, compared to a national average of 89 per cent.

Similar to the Mercury’s results, police found a total of 58 per cent of Tasmanians felt safe in public at night, compared to a national average of 54 per cent.

“Tasmania is a very safe place to live, with one of the lowest crime rates in the country, but we know there’s a small percentage of people in our community who choose to do the wrong thing,” the spokesperson said.

They reminded Tasmanians to keep windows closed and doors locked, and keep valuable items out of view.