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Sentencing Trends in the Higher Courts of Victoria 2007-08 to 2011-12: Indecent Act With a Child Aged Under 16

NCJ Number
243027
Author(s)
Dennis Byles
Date Published
June 2013
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Data for the period between 2007-08 and 2011-12 are provided on sentencing in the County Court of Victoria (Australia) for the offense of indecent act with a child under age 16.
Abstract
As defined in the law, an indecent act with a child under age 16 consists of participation in any indecent circumstance with or in the presence of such a child. It is an indictable offense that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and/or a fine of 1,200 penalty units. From 2007-08 to 2011-12, 184 people were sentenced in the higher courts for a principal offense of indecent act with a child under age 16. The sentencing of these offenders is the focus of this report. The majority of those sentenced were men (98.4 percent). Over the 5-year period, 67 percent of people were given an immediate custodial sentence. Approximately half of the people sentenced received a period of imprisonment, and 19 percent received a wholly suspended sentence of imprisonment; 13 percent received a partially suspended sentence of imprisonment. The most common imprisonment length was 1 year to less than 2 years (40 people). Sentences are compared by years within the overall 5-year time frame. Imprisonment was most common for offenders between 35 and 39 years old. 18 notes