There is much controversy about criminal sentencing in society. Every time a high profile case is shown in the media, questions are raised, such as are the current sentences effective, overly harsh, not harsh enough or inappropriate for the crime. A criminal sentence has 3 main roles, to protect society from further harm, to provide a punishment to the criminal, and to rehabilitate the criminal and, preferably, stop them from trying to commit crimes in the future.

When sentencing takes place, several factors must be taken in account. The first, that sets down the range of sentences that the judge must choose from, is the Statue Law, set down by the Australian Parliament (Sentencing act, 1989), it is there to stop huge variation among sentences and also to provide a guideline for the judge to follow. Other factors include the...