7am Why 'good character' references are being scrapped
Feb 3, 2026
Harrison James, cofounder of 'Your Reference Ain't Relevant' and survivor-advocate, speaks from lived experience and campaigning work. He discusses how biased character references are used at sentencing. He outlines why NSW has scrapped them, who has benefited, chilling examples of misuse, and whether other states will follow.
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Good Character Letters Distort Sentencing
- Good character letters let offenders exploit social standing to reduce sentences rather than reflecting objective facts.
- New South Wales will remove biased character references so sentencing focuses on harm and facts.
Survivor-Driven Campaign Origin
- Harrison James described being sexually assaulted by his stepmother from ages 13 to 16 and how she could still seek good character references in court.
- That personal harm motivated the Your Reference Ain't Relevant campaign to target child sex offender references first.
Privilege Skews Access To References
- Research shows offenders who gain most from character letters often hold social privilege, skewing sentencing outcomes.
- Removing such letters levels the playing field and keeps focus on crime harm, not social connections.