About the Sentence Administration Board

Learn about the membership and processes of the ACT Sentence Administration Board.

The ACT Sentence Administration Board (SAB) is an independent, statutory authority. We are an independent authority and are not under the direction of the ACT Government or its agencies.

We can only do what the Crimes (Sentence Administration Act) 2005 authorises us to do. This includes:

how we are formed
how we make decisions
what our powers are.

Our purpose

Our purpose is to:

make decisions about parole and intensive corrections orders
make recommendations to the Attorney-General about the release of offenders on licence
support community safety and offender rehabilitation.

How we work

We observe natural justice and take into account human rights. This means we must give offenders and victims an opportunity to be listened to. Our decisions must be reasonable, fair and objective.

We want to work with offenders and victims in a way that promotes wellbeing.

We use an approach called ‘therapeutic jurisprudence’. This is a way of working with offenders to improve their rehabilitation and respect for the law.

We want offenders and victims to feel they:

are treated respectfully
understand what is happening and why
are allowed to participate in discussions
are treated fairly.

This is not a ‘soft’ option. We will balance offender interests with the community interest. Offenders need to recognise their risk of reoffending and agree to a plan to reduce it.

We assist offenders to take a problem-solving approach. We want them to know why we made a particular decision.

We will identify gaps in services and rehabilitation plans and work with offenders and ACT Corrective Services to fill them.

Federal offenders

The Commonwealth Parole Office makes decisions about people who have committed commonwealth offences. For example, drug importation or social security fraud.

If a person is serving sentences for both ACT offences and Commonwealth offences we will only decide about the ACT sentence.

Our membership

The ACT Attorney-General appoints Sentence Administration Board (SAB) members. Membership can be for up to 3 years. The Attorney-General may appoint members for more than one term.

Board members are judicial and non-judicial members. The SAB is made up of:

one Chair
2 Deputy Chairs
up to 8 non-judicial members
the ACT Chief Police Officer, or their delegate, who is a person they have chosen to represent them

Judicial members must have been a legal practitioner for at least 5 years. The current members have much longer experience than this.

Non-judicial members are appointed because of their experience and expertise in areas like:

the criminal justice system
community agencies
working with victims of crime.

Current members

Judicial members

Mr Dominic Mulligan, Chair – member until 13 May 2026

Mr Chris Ward, Deputy Chair – member until 13 May 2028

Ms Sayuri Grady, Deputy Chair – member until 13 May 2028

Non-judicial members

Dr John Cianchi – member until 13 May 2028

Ms Mirjana Wilson – member until 13 May 2026

Prof Dennis Foley – member until 13 May 2026

Ms Tamara Graham – member until 13 May 2026

Ms Anna Huckstepp – member until 13 May 2028

Ms Sarah Milson-Mahey – member until 13 May 2028

Mr Shannon Pickles - member until 13 May 2028

Mr Paul Wyles – member until 13 May 2028

Commander Andrew Bailey, on behalf of the ACT Chief Police Officer - ongoing

Annual reports

The Sentence Administration Board issues an annual report each year.

Documents and policies

Statement of expectations and intent

The Sentence Administration Board (SAB) and the ACT Government exchanged documents about how they work together.

The ACT Government set out what they expect from the SAB so it can:

fulfil its independent role
manage relationships with the government and other agencies
balance objectives with government priorities.

The SAB issued a statement of intent about with how it intends to work.

Read the Statement of Expectations - ACT Sentence Administration Board [PDF 169kB].

Read the Sentence Administration Board Statement of Intent [PDF 156kB].

Ethics manual

The ACT Sentence Administration Board helps make sure justice is fair and works well in the ACT.

The Ethics Manual is a key guide for Board members. It sets out the values and rules they need to follow to make good decisions and act with honesty and fairness.

By using the manual, members support the Board’s mission to serve the community with respect and strong ethical standards.

Read the ACT Sentence Administration Board Ethics Manual [PDF 288kB].

Protocol between ACT Corrective Services and the Sentence Administration Board

The Sentence Administration Board has signed an agreement with ACT Corrective Services. This supports each agency to independently carry out its roles and legal responsibilities. It covers things such as:

services
reports
timeframes
communication
problem solving.

Read the Protocol between Corrective Services and the Sentence Administration Board [PDF 186kB].

Conflict of interest and bias policy

The Sentence Administration Board has to observe the principles of natural justice, this means:

you have a fair opportunity to be heard
your case is considered by fair-minded people without bias.

We developed the conflict of interest and bias policy so our members know the standards to follow.

Read the conflict of interest and bias policy [PDF 1.43MB].

Complaints management policy

If you are not happy with the administrative process or the behaviour of the Sentence Administration Board, you can complain.

You cannot complain about a decision of the Sentence Administration Board. If you are unhappy about a decision, for example a decision to refuse parole, you can apply to the Supreme Court for a judicial review.

Read the SAB complaints management policy [PDF 184kB].