Expansion of alternative sentencing options on South Coast

10 April 2025

The NSW Government has expanded access to alternative sentencing for Aboriginal offenders on the South Coast to help reduce reoffending, improve justice outcomes and improve community safety.

Circle Sentencing Courts are now operating at Moruya and Narooma in addition to Batemans Bay.

Circle sentencing is available to eligible defendants who plead guilty to or are found guilty of criminal offences in a local court.

Rather than being sentenced by a magistrate alone, defendants are sentenced by a magistrate alongside representatives from the local Aboriginal community, such as elders.

In addition, the police prosecutor is always involved, while the victim can choose to participate if they wish.

The court has the full sentencing power of a traditional court for offenders who meet the criteria and are assessed as suitable.

Circle Sentencing currently operates at 22 high-priority locations after beginning in Nowra in 2002.

Five defendants have already participated in Circle Sentencing across Moruya and Narooma, and another four at Batemans Bay.

A 2020 study by NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found Aboriginal people who participated in Circle Sentencing were 9.6 per cent less likely to reoffend, compared to those sentenced to a non-custodial sentence in a traditional way.

In developing the sentence, the group discusses factors including the impact on the victim and what can be done to prevent further offending.

Attorney General Michael Daley

“The NSW Government is proud to support the expansion of Circle Sentencing on the South Coast.

“Aboriginal people who participate in Circle Sentencing are less likely to end up in jail or reoffend.

“It gives Aboriginal communities a say in the sentencing process while delivering long-term savings for the criminal justice system.”