Sentencing Criminal Offending in a Specialist Domestic Violence Court

• In Event: Global Sentencing Practices

Abstract

Offender accountability is a common goal of specialist domestic violence courts. Accountability is often seen in terms of sanctions (sanctions that communicate a lack of tolerance of criminal offending in a domestic and familial context). This suggests that we should expect specialist courts to sentence more harshly than mainstream criminal courts. To do this, the paper compares the sentencing outcomes of domestic violence-related criminal offending in a specialist court and mainstream court in Queensland (Australia). Relying on court administrative data for two Magistrate Court (equivalent to misdemeanor courts) sites, the analysis maps the sentencing outcomes for violent criminal offending. The findings are discussed in terms of the concept of offender accountability.

Author

• Christine Bond, Griffith University