Community rehabilitation order
A community rehabilitation order means you must serve a sentence in the community under the supervision of the probation service.
You must work with your supervising officer to find ways of stopping your offending. You are expected to make every effort.
What do I have to do?
You must stay out of trouble and co-operate fully with your supervising officer.
Your order may have extra conditions which means you must attend certain programmes. Your officer will explain this to you.
On the community rehabilitation order you must:
- keep regular appointments with your supervising officer and allow visits to your home if required
- meet certain standards of behaviour. The probation service will not put up with abusive or violent behaviour or failure to meet the requirements of your order
- tell your officer straight away if you change address.
What will a Community Rehabilitation Order mean for me?
A community rehabilitation order is a sentence which you must complete by law.
Your supervising officer will work out a detailed supervision plan with you. This will set out what you should do to stop offending. They will discuss why you have broken the law and what effects this has on you and other people - for example the victims of your crime.
You will be expected to work with your officer to tackle problems linked to your offending. These may include drug or alcohol abuse, lack of a job or violent behaviour. For this you may be seen by other probation staff or specialist workers.
The court may have put extra conditions on your community rehabilitation order which may mean you have to live in a certain place or work through a specific programme - this will be explained by your supervising officer.
When and where do I have to report?
You will normally report to a probation office near where you live. But some sessions, such as groupwork, may be held somewhere else. You will be informed of this by your supervising officer.
For the first three months of your order you will be seen at least once a week. When you are working through group or individual programmes this could increase to two or three times a week.
Your supervising officer will visit you at least once at home, or where you live, at a date and time agreed with you.
What if my circumstances change or I cannot keep my appointment?
You must tell your officer straight away if there are any changes to your circumstances.
If you change your address or working hours you must still complete your order. But you may have to see a different officer or meet at different times.
If you cannot keep an appointment, you must let your supervising officer know before you miss it. You must have a good reason for missing an appointment, for example, sickness or interview. You may be asked to provide evidence of this to your officer, eg a sick certificate from your doctor.
What happens if I break the conditions of the Order?
You will be warned in writing by your officer. You may be breached and returned to court.
The court can:
- fine you and allow you to continue with your order
or - cancel the order and resentence you. This could include being sent to prison.
If the order was made at the Crown Court, the magistrates will send you back to that court to be re-sentenced.
Do I have any rights while I am on the Order?
You will be treated fairly and equally and you are expected to behave just as fairly towards other people. The service will not allow racist, sexist or other disrespectful behaviour from any person under our supervision.
If you are making very good progress and have completed at least half of the order, your officer may apply to the court for early discharge. You will be involved in discussing the content of your supervision plan. You will be given a copy. Your supervising officer will let you know how you are doing.
You can make a complaint, if you feel you have been treated unfairly or unreasonably. You should try to talk about this with your supervising officer first or their manager. If you are not satisfied with the response you get, then you can write to the YOS Manager at the main YOS address.
What if I have any questions or problems?
If you have any questions or problems, get in touch with your probation officer as soon as possible and he or she will try to sort things out for you.
