The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council (QSAC) is to undertake a review of how the most serious offenders are sentenced.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Shannon Fentiman said the Serious Violent Offence (SVO) scheme operated under the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 and applied to offenders who had been sentenced for a range of serious offences.
Ms Fentiman said once a person was declared to be convicted of an SVO, they were not eligible for parole until they have served the lesser of either 80 per cent of their sentence or 15 years imprisonment.
She said it was a priority to assess how the SVO scheme was impacting court sentencing in Queensland.
“Ensuring our courts are handing down appropriate sentences to violent and sexual offenders is a key focus for the Government,” Ms Fentiman said.
“The QSAC review of the scheme will help us to assess whether the scheme is operating as it was intended, which is to prevent violent criminals from harming our communities and reoffending.”
She said the review would examine whether further reforms were required to ensure that sentencing outcomes reflected the seriousness of these offences.
“The review will also examine the impact of the SVO scheme on victims’ satisfaction with the sentencing process, as well as the impact of any recommendations on the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the criminal justice system,” the Minister said.
The QSAC is expected to provide a report to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence next year.
