Sentences for people convicted of offences

The court can sentence you to

• a period in prison
• community payback order
• drug treatment and testing order.

Community payback order

This order can last from six months to three years. The court can impose one or more of the following requirements:

• Conduct
• Residential
• Supervision
• Programme
• Unpaid work
• Mental health
• Compensation
• Drug treatment
• Alcohol treatment

If you are aged 16 or 17 years, your order will be supervised by the Young Peoples service.

Drug treatment and testing order

This is for adults whose offending is related to drugs. There are two types of orders:

1. Drug treatment and testing orders, for people who are starting to offend because of their drug use.
2. Normal drug treatment and testing orders, which is instead of prison for people charged with serious or high levels of offending.

Community payback, unpaid work and other activity

Unpaid work takes place in local communities. It is for the benefit of the community. The court can tell you to do from 20 to 300 hours unpaid work. Projects include:

• Removals
• Snow clearing
• Developing and maintaining children's play areas
• Repairing and reinstating headstones in local cemeteries
• Recycling projects including books, bicycles and furniture