Capital punishment was abolished in Australia in 1985, but on this day in 1980, it was revealed many magistrates and judges were in favour of the death penalty.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A national survey had been conducted by the Australian Law Reform Commission, the results published in an interim report on the sentencing of federal offenders.
This was the first study in Australia examining federal crime and punishment.
While the majority of survey respondents opposed capital punishment, they outnumbered the others by just a small margin.
Fifty-two per cent of respondents opposed the punishment, with 47 per cent in favour.
Seven participants did not answer the question regarding capital punishment.
The situations where judges and magistrates favoured the punishment the most were cases of terrorism or hijacking resulting in death, wilful or premeditated murder or gangland killings and murder of a police prison officer or bank guard in the course of duty.
The report proposed abolition of parole for federal offenders, a new deal for victims of crime, a review of federal government penalties, and a study of alternatives to jail.
