Rape
Sentencing Spotlight on rape
This report is part of the Sentencing Spotlight series. These publications present statistics on sentencing outcomes for offences finalised in Queensland courts.
Our Sentencing Spotlight on rape, defined under section 349 of the Criminal Code, provides insight into cases sentenced between July 2005 and June 2023.
This is our second Sentencing Spotlight on rape. It updates the previous version published in September 2022 and has been revised and updated to present two additional years’ worth of data. The first Sentencing Spotlight on rape can be accessed in the previous release section below.
Our research found:
- 2,445 offenders were sentenced for rape
- 2,078 cases where this was the most serious offence (MSO)
- 98.7% of adult offenders received a custodial penalty
- the average prison sentence was 6.5 years
- 98.9% of offenders sentenced for rape were male
- the average age of offenders was 31.8 years
- 260 children were sentenced in Queensland courts for rape
- 32.7% of offences were domestic violence offence
Technical paper
Our technical paper explains important terminology, data sources, counting rules and methodologies for our research publications.
Download technical paper
Previous releases
Our first Sentencing Spotlight on rape provides insight into cases sentenced between July 2005 and June 2021.