BB76

Author Isabel Taussig
Published February 2012
Report Type Bureau Brief No. 76
Subject Murder; Prisons and prisoners; Sentencing
Keywords homicide, prison, penalty, sentence length

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Summary

Aim

To describe the penalties imposed on convicted homicide offenders.

Results

The average age of an adult offender convicted of homicide in NSW during the years 2009 to 2010 was 35 years. Of these, 84.1 per cent were male, and 59.5 per cent had no prior convictions in the previous five years. The most common penalty imposed on homicide offenders was a full-time prison sentence. Among those that received prison sentences, the average minimum term was just over 8.5 years and the average aggregate sentence was 11.8 years. Of those who committed a murder, 100 percent received a prison sentence, with an average minimum term of 20 years and an average aggregate sentence of 25 years.

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