What is a Community Rehabilitation Order?
A Community Rehabilitation Order (CRO) is a sentence imposed by the Courts, for those aged 16 and 17 years old, to help reduce the likelihood of re-offending, as well as dealing with personal problems such as accommodation and employment. The aims of a Community Rehabilitation Order are to:
- Protect the public from harm
- Encourage and assist you to a law abiding life, thereby promoting your welfare
- Prevent you from committing further offences
- Allow you to give reparation to (in other words make amends to) the victim of your crime
How does it work?
On leaving the court you will have been given an information leaflet, along with a time and date for your first appointment with a member of the Youth Offending Service (YOS), at Rosemead. You must keep this appointment.
At this first appointment you should learn who your Supervising Officer will be. Within 15 working days of getting your Community Rehabilitation Order, your Supervisor will, with your help, draw up an intervention plan. Your parents/guardians may also be involved in this depending on your age.
The Intervention Plan will include:
- Reporting instructions, which may include home visits, depending on how old you are and where you live.
- Areas of concern – offending behaviour and any other relevant issues that may be linked to your offending.
- Ensuring you are aware of the impact that your behaviour has had on yourself, your family and the victims. This may include reparation work towards the victim.
- Helping you take responsibility for your actions and to think very carefully when you are in a tempting situation in the future.
Your Intervention Plan is a guide and can be changed according to your needs.
Unless there are extra conditions attached to your Community Rehabilitation Order, you will be expected to report weekly for the first twelve weeks, which may include group work. After that you must report fortnightly for the next 12 weeks, and monthly thereafter until the end of your order. This will be the normal pattern if you do not re-offend and your supervisor is happy with your progress.
Your progress under the Community Rehabilitation Order will be reviewed every 3 months. You, your Supervising Officer and possibly your parents/guardians along with everyone who has been working with you will discuss what you have achieved and what still needs to be completed. The intervention plan may change accordingly.
If you fully co-operate and show good progress, the Supervising Officer may apply to the court to have the order discharged anytime after the half way point.
What is expected of me?
Whilst subject to a Community Rehabilitation Order you will be required to:
- Notify any change of address
- Attend when required
- Arrive on time for appointments
- Follow any reasonable directions of the Supervisor
Whilst in Supervision you are expected not to:
- Attend whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Become involved in violent or aggressive behaviour or use language or behaviour that may cause offence to others
- Deliberately obstruct the work that is to be carried out, for example, by refusing to co-operate
What if I miss an appointment?
It is very important that you keep your appointments with your Supervisor. If you are unable to keep an appointment, contact your Supervisor as soon as possible and you will be given another time. It may be that you have a doctor’s appointment or a job interview but remember, your supervisor will ask for proof of this.
Breach procedure
If you miss an appointment without good reason or break any of the rules, you may be given a warning letter. Any further missed appointments or breaches of the Court order may result in your return to Court. You may be returned to court without first being given a formal warning depending on the circumstances.
When a young person is returned to Court for breach, the Court may allow the Order to continue but with an additional sentence e.g. a fine, or they may impose a different sentence instead of the Community Rehabilitation Order.
Community Punishment and Rehabilitation Order
This is a combination of a Community Rehabilitation Order with community punishment hours. Hours are supervised and managed by the probation service. The number of hours is determined by the Courts and can be up to 240 hours.
The YOS will manage the ‘rehabilitation’ element of the orders in the same way it does with CRO’s. Your Supervising Officer will keep in regular contact with the Probation Service about your Community Punishment hours. You can be returned to court for breach of either part of the order.
