The effectiveness of fines as a sentencing option:

further submission from the Homeless Persons' Legal Service

In its response to the New South Wales Sentencing Council Interim Report, The Effectiveness of Fines as a Sentencing Option: Court-imposed fines and penalty notices, the Homeless Persons' Legal Service commends the Council for producing comprehensive recommendations for reform to the fines system in New South Wales. HPLS supports most of the options for reform proposed by the Council but submits that further reforms to the penalty notice system are required in the areas of training of issuing officers, Time-to-Pay Applications and debt write off procedures. HPLS also recommends that the State Debt Recovery Office implement a community education program to increase community awareness of the fines process, and that the New South Wales Government establish a Special Circumstances Court to specifically deal with fines and other court matters involving people who face significant disadvantage in dealing with court procedures.

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