What is a serious offender?
In NSW, a Serious Offender is an inmate as described in the legislation.
Section 3 (1) of the Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 defines a Serious Offender as any of the following:
- an offender who is serving a sentence for life,
- an offender who has been convicted of murder and who is subject to a sentence in respect of the conviction,
- an offender who is serving a sentence for which a non-parole period has been set in accordance with Schedule 1 to the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999,
- an offender who is serving a sentence (or one of a series of sentences of imprisonment) where the term of the sentence (or the combined terms of all the sentences in the series) is such that the offender will not become eligible for release from custody, including release on parole, until he or she has spent at least 12 years in custody,
- an offender who is, for the time being, required to be managed as a Serious Offender in accordance with a decision of the sentencing court, the Parole Authority, or the Commissioner,
- an offender who belongs to a class of persons prescribed by the regulations to be Serious Offenders for the purposes of this definition.