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Who decides on the restrictions?

What you can or can’t do while on a community sentence is decided by the following:

• a court when you are sentenced
• the person dealing with your sentence once it’s started - called the ‘offender manager’

You may have to have regular appointments with an offender manager to review your progress. You must tell them if you:

• are having problems keeping to the rules
• change address or telephone number

If you don’t stick to the rules of your sentence while you’re on probation, you could be sent back to court. Your punishment could increase and you could get a prison sentence.

• Probation - what it is

• What happens if you break the terms of your probation

Being at a particular place at certain times - ‘curfew’

Being on a curfew means you have to be, or stay at a particular place at certain times of the day or night. This is normally your own home.

Curfews last between two and 12 hours a day.

If you’re put on a curfew, it’s likely you will be ‘tagged’ as well.

Electronic monitoring - being ‘tagged’

If you’re tagged, a strap (known as a tag) is fitted around your ankle. The tag is linked electronically to a box installed at the address you must stay at. The device lets the people at the tagging company who monitor you know that you are there.

A member of staff from the tagging company will explain how the tag works when it’s fitted.

The length of time a tag is in place varies, but can last for up to six months.

Restrictions on where you can go – 'Exclusion requirement'

An ‘exclusion requirement’ stops you from going to a particular place or area - and is likely to be related to your crime.

For example, if are found guilty of threatening behaviour, you could be ordered to keep away from the victim’s home and workplace.

Your offender manager will explain the rules of the exclusion requirement. You may get a map detailing where you are excluded from.

The length of time an exclusion order is in place varies, but can last for up to two years.

Restrictions on what you can do – ‘Prohibited activity requirement’

If you’re given a ‘prohibited activity requirement’ it means you have to stop doing something that led to your crime.

For example, if your drinking has caused problems then you could be stopped from entering any pubs or nightclubs.

An offender manager will explain the rules of the requirement to you.

Where you must live - ‘Residence requirement’

If you’re given a ‘residence requirement’ it means you have to live where the probation service tells you.

This could be:

• your own home
• someone else’s home
• a probation hostel - also known as ‘approved premises’

You are not allowed to live anywhere else unless your offender manager agrees to it.