I’m being sentenced, what can I expect?

If you are sentenced by a court to a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order, you will be seen in court by a Probation Officer who will explain the terms of your sentence. 

 

Do not leave court without contacting the Court Probation Officer.

 

The Court Probation Officer will tell you which probation office to report to and arrange your first appointment, either with your offender manager or with the nearest Community Payback unit.

 

You must keep this appointment or you risk being re-arrested and returned to court.

 

Your first appointment

At your first appointment you will meet your offender manager who will explain the details of your sentence and give you a list of appointments.

 

  •  You must turn up for all appointments on time and not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  •  You must tell your offender manager if you plan to change your address or phone number.

If you miss an appointment or break the rules without good reason your offender manager will give you a final warning.

 

If you miss an appointment or break the rules for a second time you will be taken back to court and could be sent to prison.

 

Community Payback

If you have been sentenced to carry out Community Payback, you must wear suitable clothing.  We will provide high-visibility jackets and any other specialist protective clothing you may need such as wellingtons or a hard hat.

 

You are expected to report to the Community Payback office yourself but we will provide transport to the work site if this is in a different location.

 

If you are given a prison sentence you will be seen by a Probation Officer before you leave court.  When you reach prison you will be contacted by probation staff based in the prison who will work with prison staff to manage your sentence.

 

Disclosing your conviction

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 outlaws discrimination against ex-offenders. It is intended to help people with few and/or minor convictions. People with many or serious convictions will probably not benefit from the Act because their rehabilitation period will usually be longer.

Certain criminal convictions are ‘spent’ (forgotten) after a rehabilitation period. This period varies according to the offence. For people aged 18 or over when convicted:

 

  • most convictions become spent after five years
  • prison sentences up to six months become spent after seven years
  • prison sentences up to two and a half years become spent after ten years
  • sentences over 2.5 years are never spent.

 

You don't need to disclose spent convictions when applying for most jobs. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 it's unlawful for an employer to discriminate on the grounds of a spent conviction.  However, some types of jobs are exempt from this Act – this means you have to disclose spent convictions as well as unspent ones. These jobs include:

 

  • working with children and vulnerable adults, such as elderly and disabled people
  • senior roles in banking and the financial services industry
  • certain posts connected to law enforcement, including the judiciary and the police
  • work involving national security
  • certain posts in the prison service
  • certain professions in areas such as health, pharmacy and the law
  • private security work.


For more information about disclosing your conviction to employers, please speak to your offender manager, or visit the DirectGov Careers Advice website.

 

Community Compact

The Community Compact is a high level agreement, or contract, between the Probation Trust, the offender manager, and the offender.  It sets out a series of mutual expectations and standards of behaviour whilst the offender is subject to a Community Order, Suspended Sentence Order, or a licence.  The compact details the offender's rights, and what they can expect from us during their supervisory period.

 

Community Compact example

 

Employment and Skills and Next Step

 

For offenders sentenced to Unpaid Work, the Next Step service within Community Payback units provides employment and skills information and advice.  This nationally available service enables individuals to obtain the latest career advice empowering them to make informed choices about how to improve their skills and look at gaining Employment.

For further information, offenders can pick up a leaflet at their local office or contact their offender manager.

 

Information on Next Step

Employment and Skills page