NCJ Number
239472
Date Published
June 2012
Length
16 pages
Annotation
After determining the profiles of offenders given "intensive correction orders" (ICOs) in New South Wales (Australia), this study compared these offenders with those who received other penalties.
Abstract
In October 2010, New South Wales (NSW) abolished periodic detention as a sentencing option and introduced ICOs instead. An ICO is served in the community under the supervision of Corrective Services NSW. An ICO requires an offender to comply with directions from a Corrective Services supervisor, as well as conditions such as a minimum of 32 hours of community service work per month, participation in programs to address offending behavior, and drug testing. An ICO may also require an offender to comply with a curfew and be subject to electronic monitoring, alcohol testing, and random home visits. There are four levels of supervision, which vary in terms of these conditions. The current study found that the majority of the 488 offenders who received an ICO between October 1, 2010, and September 30, 2011, were male (89 percent), 32.7 years old, with 5.3 prior proven court appearances. They were most often convicted of traffic and vehicular offenses (40 percent). Compared with offenders who had received periodic detention, a suspended sentence with supervision, a community-service order, or a sentence of imprisonment, those who received ICOs were most similar to those who received periodic detention in the preceding year; however, they were more likely to be female, have a prior prison sentence, and live in a major city than those who had received periodic detention. The author advises that in the coming years, the use and accessibility of ICOs, as well as the impact of their introduction on the use of other penalties, should be further monitored. 10 tables