Community Orders

By Eoin Guilfoyle

Magistrates and judges have a range of custodial and non-custodial options to choose from when sentencing an individual convicted of an offence in England and Wales.

The custodial options are either various forms of immediate imprisonment or a Suspended Sentence Order (technically a custodial sentence served in the community on the condition that the sentenced person complies with any requirements attached to the order and commits no further offences during the period of suspension).

The main non-custodial options are a Community Order, a fine or a discharge.

This paper considers the use of Community Orders, reviews the recent research evidence relating to their use and identifies gaps in knowledge that require further exploration.

Read the full report here.