Community Orders are an alternative to prison sentences or fines. They were introduced in April 2005, replacing all previous community sentences. A community order can have up to 12 components or “requirements”, which allow judges or magistrates to tailor-make a sentence for each offender, to maximise the public protection and rehabilitative effect of the sentence.
The 12 requirements sentencers can choose from are:
- Unpaid work
- Accredited programmes, aimed at changing offenders’ thinking and behaviour.
- Exclusion from certain areas.
- Residence
- Mental health treatment
- Drug rehabilitation
- Alcohol treatment
- Supervision
- Curfew
- Prohibtion from taking part in certain activities.
- Participation in specified activities, such as improving basic skills including reading, writing and numeracy.
- Attendance Centre
Most of these requirements are available in Suffolk, but currently Suffolk Probation Area is unable to offer Attendance Centre requirements as there are no local centres.
Information about these requirements is available in a selection of leaflets.
