This section provides information to assist victims of crime in understanding the sentencing process. The information contained on this website is largely based on sentencing legislation in New South Wales set out in the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999.

Click on a topic to go to that page:

Sentencing Hearing
Purpose of Sentencing
Factors in Sentencing
Sentencing Options
Guideline Judgments
Parole and Appeal

Download Sentencing Information Package (PDF, 158kb) for complete information on sentencing in NSW. The package was prepared by the Attorney General's Department’s Victims Services, the NSW Sentencing Council and the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

Did you know?

• The percentage of people found guilty by the courts remains high: 87.3 per cent of people appearing in the Local Courts and 83.4 per cent of those appearing in the District and Supreme Courts were found guilty in 2007 (latest figures available).
• There are many support services available for victims of crime.