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Western Australia Takes Steps to End Mandatory One-Third Reductions in Criminal Sentences

By Douglas A. Berman

In SL&P's attempt to cover the world of sentencing, we take note of an interesting story on the other side of the Pacific.  The Western Australian government has taken steps to repeal the transitional provisions of the truth in sentencing laws it passed in 2003, which required a mandatory one-third reduction, presumably to reflect better the actual time served by defendants after their sentences were handed down.  The laws came under renewed attack last month, when the WA Supreme Court ruled that they applied to all statutory offenses, even those passed after the sentencing laws were enacted, whose maximum penalties were thereby diluted.  The Attorney General, Jim McGinty, said that repealing the laws means judges will finally be able to impose the maximum sentence available for serious crimes...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on August 04, 2008 (boomark / email).