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With a cramped time frame, she did in 3 days what another firm dilly-dallied for 7 months. Lisa kept me informed. Helena made me feel comfortable in a sticky situation.

- Client

I will definitely be using your company in the future if needed. Lisa kept me at ease also there were no grey areas with great advice. Helana is a great front of house.

- Client

My legal matter concerning an application for a Domestic Violence Order was managed by Mr Thomas Allen. I am grateful for the outcome he obtained. Without Mr Allen and his ongoing support, I would be certain of a different result. It has been an extremely stressful period. Mr Allen’s astute ability to liaise on my behalf and his expertise was invaluable and for which I am grateful as I am now able to move forward. Thanking you

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank Armstrong Legal and specifically Mr Thomas Allen for representing me in my recent case. At the outset, I would like to thank Mr Allen for the very professional delivery of his legal service. From the first time that I met Mr Allen, I was very impressed with his demeanour and delivery as he made me feel at ease knowing the severity of my case. Mr Allen not only gave me the possible positive outcomes of the case but also the realisation of the worst-case scenario as far as sentencing goes. … I will certainly be recommending Armstrong Legal to any of my friends or family needing representation in criminal matters. Thank you so very much.

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Thank you for your representation and help. Fingers crossed for the next step and parole. I just want to say that from the first phone call to your office, your service has been outstanding and have put my mind at ease. I am glad I picked your number to ring.

- Client

Thank you Armstrong Legal, the lawyers that have helped over the past 3 years but more importantly, thank you to Thomas Allen for the major part you and Mr Buckland played. Cannot thank you enough. Cheers.

- Client

Hi all. I would like to thank Ms Lisa Riley for all her help with my legal issues this past month. It was the most harrowing experience of my life and thanks to her expertise, professionalism and knowledge of the law, I came out almost unscathed. I have no hesitation in recommending Lisa Riley and Armstrong Legal if you need help. The service is amazing and the cost was very minimal for the great outcome. Thank you Lisa for helping me in the most difficult time.

- Client

I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. My whole life I was thrown away, you made me feel like I did mean something. I could not have asked for a better lawyer. Your compassion and love for your job is inspiring. Your upfront and honesty were muchly appreciated, you are a beautiful person. Thank you for not giving up on me and thank you for all the work you put in. I wish you all the best for the future and I will be recommending you to everyone I know. You're amazing!!!!

- Client

I just wanted to thank you for representing me on Monday, I was overjoyed & relieved with the outcome. I don’t think it could have gone any better. All the best, I hope you got to celebrate this one instead after work, you forever made a difference in my life.

I know I thanked you before we parted company but please allow me to reiterate in writing my sincere deepest thanks for defending me in court today. … Armstrong Legal certainly has a great Lawyer you are a credit to the company and I'm quite sure you will secure a very successful future! … My Kindest Regards and Thanks

- Client

Throughout Angela has been the consummate professional. She maintained a calm, yet strong demeanour remained informative and completely open in her communication and took complete ownership of the situation. We felt confident we finally had an advocate to steer us out of the nightmare we were in, and she did so with great respect and sincerity. I cannot speak more highly of Angela. She has literally rescued our family from what looked very much like a hopeless future.

- Client

Words can’t describe how grateful I am to Trudie Cameron being my solicitor and to Andrew Tiedt presenting my case in the court. They both have been very supportive and amazingly professional and effective. I’ve got an absolutely fantastic outcome I couldn’t even dream about.

- Client

Soon after meeting Andrew I knew he was the solicitor I wanted to handle my matter. He immediately sprang into action which brought me stability and hope during a tumultuous time in my life. Andrew was never afraid to give me straight answers to my tough questions which is a true mark of integrity. He is clearly at ease in the court environment and I believe his calm and measured demeanour went a long way to helping me secure the best result from my day in court. I would certainly recommend you approach Andrew if you need assistance.

- Client

"Andrew Tiedt was very professional and considerate to personal circumstances and gave sound advice that resulted in the best outcome possible. Highly recommended."

This article was written by Fernanda Dahlstrom - Content Editor - Brisbane

Fernanda Dahlstrom has a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. She has also completed a Master’s in Writing and Literature. Fernanda practised law for eight years, working in criminal defence, child protection and domestic violence law in the Northern Territory and in family law in Queensland.

Imprisonment (Vic)

Imprisonment is the most severe penalty that Victorian courts can impose. A term of imprisonment must be imposed on a person only as a last resort when no lesser sentencing option is appropriate. Victoria has both privately operated and publicly operated prisons, including remand centres, minimum security prisons and maximum security prisons.

How are terms of imprisonment determined?

When a court sentences a person to imprisonment, it determines the length of the term by reference to the maximum and minimum terms legislated for the offence. The court must not impose a sentence that is harsher than is necessary to achieve the sentencing objectives of the case.

The principles which govern sentencing in Victoria are:

- Punishment, to the extent that is justified;
- Deterrence, meaning the offender and others are deterred from committing similar offences;
- Rehabilitation, meaning the sentence facilitates and encourages the offender to overcome their offending behaviour;
- Community protection;
- Denunciation, meaning the sentence sends a message to the community that the offending is not acceptable.

Mandatory sentencing

Victoria has a mandatory sentencing regime in relation to a number of offences. Courts must impose custodial sentences for certain offences committed after 20 March 2017, including murder, rape, serious drug offences, child sex offences and recklessly or intentionally causing serious injury. For offences committed after 28 October 2018, mandatory sentencing also applies to other offences involving the risk of injury, including aggravated home invasion and aggravated carjacking.

Victorian courts must impose imprisonment in respect of manslaughter, intentionally causing serious injury, child homicide, kidnapping, arson causing death and some serious drug and terrorism offences unless there is a particular reason for not doing so where the offence occurred after 20 March 2017.

Where the offence occurred after 28 October 2018, these rules also apply to offences of car jacking, home invasion, culpable or dangerous driving causing death, armed robbery and offences involving exposing an emergency worker to risk

Life imprisonment

When a term of life imprisonment is imposed, this means the offender remains in prison for the rest of their natural life. However, the court can set a non-parole period which is a date on which the offender can apply for parole. Only the Supreme Court can sentence a person to life imprisonment in Victoria. The court may refuse to set a non-parole period in a case where it is not appropriate. This means the offender will remain in prison until they die.

Suspended sentences

Suspended sentences have now been abolished in Victoria. This means that when a court is sentencing a person for an offence committed after 1 September 2014, a suspended sentence is not an available sentencing order. However, Victorian courts can still impose suspended sentences for offences committed before 1 September 2014, but this power is subject to limitations.

Suspended sentences are terms of imprisonment where the offender is allowed to live in the community provided they do not commit an offence punishable by imprisonment and abide by certain other conditions. If the offender breaches their suspended sentence, they are generally ordered to serve the term of imprisonment that has been suspended unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Indefinite sentences

If the court believes an offender is a serious danger to the community, it can impose a term of imprisonment with no set end date. The offender is then released only if the court is satisfied that they are not any longer a serious danger to the community.

Continuing detention

The Supreme Court can make an order for the continuing detention of a sex offender if it believes that the person poses an unacceptable risk of committing further sexual offences. A continuing detention order must be reviewed at least once a year.

Terms of imprisonment and young offenders

In Victoria, courts can order young offenders aged under 21 to serve their custodial sentence in youth detention rather than in an adult facility. This is known as the dual-track system and is designed to prevent vulnerable young people from entering the adult prison system.

The court can make such an order if it is convinced that the young person has reasonable prospects of rehabilitation or if it believes that the young person is particularly impressionable, immature or likely to be adversely influenced by adult prison.

If you require legal advice or representation in a criminal matter or in any other legal matter, please contact Armstrong Legal.

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