In partnership with the Magistrates' Court of Victoria, the Sentencing Advisory Council is delivering free public 'You be the Judge' sessions around Victoria.
The interactive sessions introduce participants to sentencing law by inviting them to sentence a real but anonymous case of culpable driving causing death.
Sentencing Advisory Council chair Professor Arie Freiberg said the sessions were recommended for members of the community, including secondary students, who were interested in finding out how courts make sentencing decisions.
“It's sometimes easy to criticise the works that magistrates and judges do in deciding what should happen to people who have broken the law,” he said.
“It's less easy to say what a better sentence would be, and why.”
The Sentencing Advisory Council's mission is to bridge the gap between the community, the courts and government by informing, educating, and advising on sentencing issues.
The 'You be the Judge' sessions, which run for 90 minutes, allow people to put themselves in a judge's shoes and think about the the law, the offender and what they did.
Prof Freiberg said the challenging part for the participants was trying to find a sentence that was just in all circumstances.
“These 'You be the Judge' sessions are an engaging introduction for non-legal community members to this fascinating topic,” he said.
A You be the Judge session will be held in Shepparton on Friday, October 25 at Riverlinks, 70 Welsford St, from 5.25pm to 7pm. Reservations can be made by phone on 1300 363 196 or by email at contact@sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au
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