Where an offender has severe intellectual disability (functioning lower than 99.7% of the population), the sentencing court must give substantial weight to that disability as a subjective factor, must reduce the weight given to general deterrence, and must consider the offender's vulnerability in custody. A plea of guilty entered at the Local Court after the ERISP has been transcribed and reviewed by legal representatives is to be treated as entered at the earliest practical opportunity. Intellectual disability and lack of coping skills, combined with the need for extended supervision and rehabilitation, constitute special circumstances warranting a longer additional term.
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