People power on the sentencing of prisoners
When prison authorities recently decided to allow convicted serial killer Ivan Milat a toaster and television in his cell the community response was largely apoplectic, re-opening the perennial question of what role the publlic should play in determining the lengh and severity of criminal’s sentences. Today, an international conference on the role of the community in determining the lengh of prison sentences concluded in Melbourne. The conference was convened by the Sentencing Advisory Council of Victoria which for the last three years has been advising the Victorian government on community sentiment towards the punishments meted out to criminal offenders. A similar Council operates in NSW and other states are also considering adopting this model.