There has been reaction recently to what appear to be light sentences handed down by the courts.

Most people that appear before the courts to be punished for offences have heard what penalty others have received for similar offences.

They naturally draw a parallel between their case and those others they hear about.

Having an expectation based on the other cases is sometimes dangerous because sentencing is a very complex process.

The process of sentencing someone involves a number of factors that include punishment, rehabilitation and sending a message to others out there who may be tempted to commit offences.

Those principles apply to all sentence proceedings, but there are many other variables that mean no two cases are the same.

The magistrates and judges are required to take all of the factors peculiar to each different sentence proceeding into account, balance those and hand down the penalty they believe is appropriate in the circumstances.

Hopefully that helps in making some sense of sentencing.