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Sentencing Act 2002

Sentencing purposes and principles, and provisions of general application - Preliminary provisions

3: Purposes

You could also call this:

"What the law aims to achieve when sentencing people who break the law"

Illustration for Sentencing Act 2002

The purposes of this Act are to help you understand why offenders are sentenced. You will see that the Act sets out reasons for sentencing offenders. It also helps courts make fair decisions when sentencing offenders.

The Act promotes fairness and helps people understand how sentencing works. It gives courts guidelines to follow when dealing with offenders. This helps ensure that offenders are treated fairly.

The Act also provides different types of sentences for offenders. It considers what is best for the victims of crime. This means that the Act tries to balance the needs of everyone involved.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM135349.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal lawCrime and justice > Courts and legal help
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2: Commencement, or

"When the Sentencing Act 2002 law starts"

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4: Interpretation, or

"What words mean in the Sentencing Act 2002"

Part 1Sentencing purposes and principles, and provisions of general application
Preliminary provisions

3Purposes

  1. The purposes of this Act are—

  2. to set out the purposes for which offenders may be sentenced or otherwise dealt with; and
    1. to promote those purposes, and aid in the public's understanding of sentencing practices, by providing principles and guidelines to be applied by courts in sentencing or otherwise dealing with offenders; and
      1. to provide a sufficient range of sentences and other means of dealing with offenders; and
        1. to provide for the interests of victims of crime.