The lawyer for Lisa Hay has argued these are reasons why his client should spend less time in jail.

Hay, 36, appeared in the County Court on Tuesday, which was three years to the day that she lit a fire at the back door of her neighbour's Burke Street home in the early hours of September 1, 2017.

The fire destroyed the house, but the victim was able to escape without serious harm.

Hay was found guilty of arson and reckless conduct endangering life by a jury in February, after she pleaded not guilty and went to trial.

Her barrister Martin Kozlowski argued in court on Tuesday that prison could have a detrimental effect on Hay's mental health, saying she will have limited ability to communicate with other inmates or understand written instructions because of her learning difficulties.

"All the (psychological) reports to some extent support the submission that Ms Hay has post-traumatic stress disorder, which will most likely affect her time in custody by making it more onerous," he said.

MORE NEWS FROM COURT:

Hay spent 293 days in custody after her arrest before being released on bail, then spent the past 187 days back in custody after she was found guilty in court.

Crown prosecutor David O'Doherty said Hay's learning difficulties making her time in custody more difficult were "not a significant matter for sentencing".

"That can be said about just about every person that's sentenced to a term of imprisonment - there are personal circumstances and idiosyncrasies that make a person different from other people," he said.

He said the law stated that a person must be sentenced with "the protection of the community as paramount".

"This is a serious example of a serious offence," Mr O'Doherty said. "Had it not been for the passer-by ... at that early hour of the morning, a terrible tragic outcome was likely to have occurred."

Judge Damian Murphy will sentence Hay in court next week.