NEW REPORT: Sentence Appeals in Victoria

The Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council has released a report that examines data on sentence appeals in Victoria.

The Sentence Appeals in Victoria: Statistical Research Report reveals previously unavailable data on appeals against sentence brought by offenders and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

This comprehensive study sheds new light on the range of complex factors that affect sentence appeals. Appeals play a crucial role in the sentencing system. The role of the Court of Appeal is to determine whether errors have been made in the sentencing process and to provide guidance to sentencing judges.

Drawing from a range of data sources, the report provides detailed analysis of sentence appeals, including:
* trends in the hearing and success rates of offender appeals compared with Crown appeals
* patterns in the grounds of appeal argued
* sentencing errors found by the Court of Appeal in successful appeals
* the impact of resentencing in successful offender appeals compared to successful Crown appeals.

The report also presents data on criminal appeal trends and explores some of the factors that may explain these trends. It examines the impact of recent reforms introduced by the Court of Appeal to reduce delays and address the backlog of criminal appeal cases that existed up to 2009-10. Since 2010-11, this backlog has substantially reduced.

The Council has produced this report to contribute to a better understanding of the work of the courts in both the appeal and sentencing processes.

The Sentence Appeals in Victoria: Statistical Research Report is available for download via the following link: