一步一个脚印

Briefing

A criminal law professor is giving a speech for a visiting delegation from China about the sentencing options available to judges in Australian courts.

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Interpreting Speech #6 – Sentencing Options (English-into-Mandarin)

Transcript and reference translation

When most people think about sentencing, the first thing that comes to mind is imprisonment. However, imprisonment is only one of a wide range of sentencing options available to the courts. In general, imprisonment is regarded as a last resort, to be used only when no lesser form of punishment is deemed appropriate. In fact, it is only used in a small proportion of criminal cases.

當多數人想到判刑時，腦中第一個浮現的就是監禁。然而，監禁只是法院眾多判決中的一種。一般而言，如果沒有其他更合適的處罰方式，通常會以監禁作為最後要考慮的判決。就事實而言，只有一小部分的犯罪事件會以監禁作為判決。

In some cases parole is granted, which means that offenders can serve part of their sentence outside prison. There are strict conditions for their release, such as supervision by a parole officer. The aim of parole is to assist the offender to re-integrate into mainstream society. If the offender breaches any conditions of parole, the parole can be revoked and the offender returned to prison to serve the remainder of their sentence.

在某些案件中，假釋是必然的結果，這意味著犯罪著者可以在監獄外執行部分刑期。假釋的條件是相當嚴峻的，例如犯罪者將受到假釋官的監視。假釋的用意在於幫助犯罪者重新融入主流社會。如果犯罪者違反任何假釋的規定，假釋可能被撤銷而且犯罪著必須回到監獄中服完剩下的刑期。

If the prison sentence is 18 months or less, the court may order that the sentence be served by way of home detention. This requires that the offender stay inside his or her residence at specified times, for example, from 7pm to 7am. They may be monitored by an electronic device attached to their person, or by random visits and calls to their home. Home detention is only available for a limited range of offences, and may not be ordered for offenders with a violent criminal history.

如果監禁刑期等於或少於十八個月，法院可以判決讓犯罪者在家監禁，並規定犯罪者在特定的時間必須待在家裡，例如從晚上七點至早上十點。犯罪者可能會透過身上配戴的電子裝置、隨機的居家拜訪或電訪而受到監控。在家監禁只適用於某些限定的罪行，而不適用於有暴力犯罪紀錄的犯罪者。

Another sentencing option is community service work, the maximum of which is 500 hours. The kind of community service work to be performed is determined by the parole officer supervising the offender. It may include, for example, cleaning graffiti off walls or picking up rubbish in a public area.

另一種判刑的選擇是社區服務，最多為500小時。此類社區服務的履行由監視犯罪者的假釋官決定。社區服務可能包含如清除牆上塗鴉或是在公共區域撿垃圾之類的工作。

The court may also order the offender to enter into a good behaviour bond for a term of up to five years. The offender must comply with the conditions of the bond and let the court know if their residential address changes. If these conditions are violated, the court may re-sentence the offender for the original offence.

法院也可以要求犯罪者簽署長達五年的行為檢點契約。犯罪者必須遵守法院規定之契約內容，若更換居住地址時也必須告知法院。如果犯罪者違反契約，法院可依照原罪行重新判決。

In certain circumstances a court may find a person guilty, but opt for a dismissal of charge. This is generally used by the courts for trivial offences, or where the age, character, prior criminal record or mental condition of the offender indicates that it is appropriate. It is seen as a way of giving people who make a mistake a second chance, and to avoid giving them a criminal record.

在某些情況中，法院或許會認定某人有罪，但是卻選擇駁回判決。這通常用於罪行輕微者；或年紀、品格、先前的犯罪紀錄或精神狀態顯示此犯罪者適用於此判決時。這似乎是一種給予犯錯者第二次機會並且讓他們避免留下犯罪紀錄的判決方式。

A suspended sentence is another option a court may consider. In this case, the offender is released from custody on condition that he or she enters into a good behaviour bond. If the offender breaches this agreement, the court may order the offender to serve the original sentence.

緩刑是另一種法院會考慮的判決方式。在這個情況中，犯罪者從監獄中被釋放前提是犯罪者必簽署行為檢點契約。如果犯罪者違反了這個契約，法院可以判決犯罪者依原判決服刑。

As for fines, the maximum amount that can be imposed for an offence is generally set out in legislation, and is usually expressed in ‘penalty units’. Currently, a penalty unit is set at $110 each, so if the maximum penalty for an offence is 1000 penalty units, the maximum fine is $110,000. The court can take into account the offender’s ability to pay when determining the amount of a fine. If the fine is not paid, the defaulter’s driver’s licence and vehicle registration can be cancelled, property can be seized or money can be taken from their wages. In some cases, a community service order – or even imprisonment – can be imposed.

罰金方面，犯罪者被罰款的最高金額一般在法律中已有詳加規定，而它通常以罰款單位表示。每個罰款單位設定為一百一十元澳幣，如果一個罪刑的最高罰金為一千個罰款單位，那麼最高的罰金就是十一萬澳幣。法院在決定罰款金額時，可將犯罪者支付能力列入考量。如果罰金未繳，那麼犯罪者的駕照和汽車牌照皆有可能被撤銷，並扣押財產或薪資。在某些情況中，犯罪者可能被處以社區服務- 甚至是監禁。

Material adapted from the excellent introduction to sentencing options (PDF) provided by the extremely useful legal resource at legalanswers.sl.nsw.gov.au.