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Sentencing Act 2002

Sentencing purposes and principles, and provisions of general application - Permitted combinations of sentences

20: Guidance on use of combinations of sentences

You could also call this:

"How courts choose the right mix of punishments for you"

Illustration for Sentencing Act 2002

When a court decides to give you a combination of sentences, they must make sure each sentence is fair on its own. The court checks if the sentence matches the purpose of the punishment and if it follows the principles outlined in section 8. The court wants to ensure the sentence is right for your case. If the court combines community work with supervision, they must believe community work is suitable for you.

The court also needs to think you require extra conditions to help you stop offending. This means the court must consider what will help you the most. You will get a combination of sentences if the court thinks it is the best way to help you and punish you fairly.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM135565.

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Part 1Sentencing purposes and principles, and provisions of general application
Permitted combinations of sentences

20Guidance on use of combinations of sentences

  1. A court may impose a particular combination of sentences on an offender only if satisfied that any of the sentences making up the combination, if imposed alone or in any less restrictive combination, would not be in accordance with—

  2. the purpose or purposes for which sentence is imposed; or
    1. the application of the principles in section 8 to the particular case.

      1. A court may only combine a sentence of community work with a sentence of supervision or intensive supervision if satisfied that—

      2. a sentence of community work is appropriate; but
        1. the offender requires the imposition of standard conditions or any of the special conditions available under a sentence of supervision or intensive supervision to address the causes of his or her offending.

          Notes
          • Section 20: replaced, on , by section 11 of the Sentencing Amendment Act 2007 (2007 No 27).