Robertson O’Gorman Legal Director Dan Rogers, in his capacity as a member of the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council, presented at a session on ‘Public Perceptions of Sentencing’ alongside the Honourable Margaret McMurdo AC and Her Excellency the Honourable Kate Warner AC, Governor of Tasmania in the Banco Court.
The forum was prompted by the overwhelming community perceptions that judges and the legal system are too soft on crime, often fueled by the media and politicians playing into this narrative. However, despite this view Australia’s jails are experiencing overcrowding to crisis levels not seen before. Research has found that when jurors are put in the position of a judge, they would often impose a similar sentence on offenders.
Mr Rogers was called upon in light of his expertise in criminal law to address these issues, considering how in touch the legal system and the courts are with community attitudes. The discussion included solutions as to how sentencing in the future can better reflect community values.
The ABC podcast of this forum on public perceptions of sentencing is now available online at https://lnkd.in/fwve46r.