New insights into how Queenslanders view the purpose of sentencing

Queenslanders draw on a range of factors when thinking about the purposes of sentencing, new research from the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council has revealed.

Community members views shift depending on the type of offence, whether the person has offended before and how harmful the behaviour is perceived to be.

The research identified five key findings about what shapes community views on the purpose of sentencing.

First, the type of offence had a clear influence on how participants ranked sentencing purposes. The offence of drug possession tended to prompt a focus on deterrence and rehabilitation.

In contrast, assault causing injury led to stronger preferences for deterrence, punishment and denunciation, while home burglary prompted participants to favour deterrence, community protection and punishment.

Repeat offending also strongly shaped community views, often more than the type of offence itself.

Participants were far more likely to prioritise punishment when considering a repeat offender.

Perceptions of harm also played a significant role. Offences seen as having broader impacts on the community, such as assault and burglary, prompted support for punishment, community protection and deterrence.

Offences viewed as causing limited harm, such as drug possession, saw participants shift towards rehabilitation and deterrence.

Community views on sentencing were also influenced by socially acceptable behaviour.

Anti-social behaviour such as violence, was seen as a clear breach of basic expectations and led many participants to believe offenders should face consequences.

Participants who considered the underlying causes of offending were more likely to prioritise rehabilitation and considered factors such as addiction, disadvantage, and mental health issues.

The support for rehabilitation tended to fall away in cases involving repeat offending, where punishment and community protection were seen as more appropriate.

Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council Chair Kerry O’Brien said the findings show that community views on sentencing are far from uniform.

“People draw on different scenarios and assumptions when forming their views on sentencing,” Mr O’Brien said.

“These insights help us understand what shapes Queenslanders’ views and how people weigh the different purposes of sentencing.

“It is important to note that this research was completed before the introduction of the new sentencing purpose that recognises the harm done to a victim, so we cannot yet say how the community views its relative importance.

“What the findings do suggest, however, is that people respond strongly to offences they see as causing greater harm, so future research may show that victim harm becomes a significant factor in how Queenslanders weigh sentencing purposes,”

The Queensland Government adopted the new sentencing purpose to recognise the harm done by the offender to a victim of the offence after recommendations from the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council.

Read the research brief.