In this episode, we talk to the Governor of Tasmania, Professor Kate Warner AC, about her renowned studies into public perceptions of sentencing. Although judges are often branded ‘soft on crime’ in today’s media, the research shows when presented with the facts of a case, members of the public are actually likely to be more lenient. Professor Warner explains how the research was carried out, the questions that were asked of jurors and how the study has progressed from Tasmania to Victoria and now to a national study looking at sexual and violence offences. She reveals the results of the surveys and discusses the merit of sentencing remark summaries being published by Australian courts to help educate the public about the sentencing process.
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