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Sentencing Act 2017
Div 2Sentencing purposes
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Division 2—Sentencing purposes
3—Primary sentencing purpose
The primary purpose for sentencing a defendant for an offence is to protect the safety of the community (whether as individuals or in general).
4—Secondary sentencing purposes
(1) The secondary purposes for sentencing a defendant for an offence are as follows:
(a) to ensure that the defendant—
(i) is punished for the offending behaviour; and
(ii) is held accountable to the community for the offending behaviour;
(b) to publicly denounce the offending behaviour;
(c) to publicly recognise the harm done to the community and to any victim of the offending behaviour;
(d) to deter the defendant and others in the community from committing offences;
(da) to deter the defendant and others in the community from harming or assaulting prescribed emergency workers (within the meaning of section 20AA of the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935) acting in the course of official duties;
(e) to promote the rehabilitation of the defendant.
(2) Nothing about the order in which the secondary purposes are listed in subsection (1) implies that any 1 of those secondary purposes is to be given greater weight than any other secondary purpose.