Standard non-parole periods and guideline judgments
In March 2009 the Attorney General requested that the Council examine standard non-parole periods and guideline judgments.
For further information about the review click on the links below or in the menu on the left.
- Final Report (PDF, 721.6 KB)
- Terms of reference
Previous reviews
The Council has previously reported on specific aspects of the standard non-parole period scheme. For information on those reports, click on the links below:
- Inclusion of attempt and accessorial offences in the scheme
- Inclusion of dangerous driving offences in the scheme
- Inclusion of firearms offences in the scheme
NSW Law Reform Commission review of sentencing laws
On 23 September 2011, the Attorney General asked the NSW Law Reform Commission (LRC) to review the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999, including, specifically, the operation of the SNPP scheme.
Further information about the LRC's review is available on the Commission's website.
The Attorney General invited the Council and the LRC to work in collaboration with each other in relation to the review. As such, the Council determined that the Standard non-parole period paper should not make recommendations, but should be a background paper to assist the broader review to be conducted by the NSW LRC.
Terms of reference
The Attorney General has asked the Council to examine standard non-parole periods in line with the following terms of reference:
- identification of any sexual offences not contained in the Table of Standard Non-parole Periods (SNPPs), which possibly should be included at a later date
- standardisation of SNPPs for sexual and other offences within a band of 40-60 per cent of the available maximum penalty, subject to the possibility of individual exceptions, by reference to an assessment of the incidence of offending and special considerations relating thereto
- identification of potential additions to the SNPP scheme, involving the level or levels at which SNPPs might be appropriately set
- establishment of a transparent mechanism by which a decision is made to include a particular offence in the Table, and by which the SNPP is set; and
- identification of sexual offences that might justify an application for a guideline judgment.
Last updated:
28 Nov 2022
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