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Community Orders

Offenders may be required to serve out their sentence under a community-based order. Community Correctional Services (CCS) manages adult offenders who are on community-based court orders or Adult Parole Board orders. Community based sentencing has been recently reformed. 

Prior to 16 January 2012, there were different types of court imposed community orders, including Community Based Orders, Intensive Correction Orders and Combined Custody and Treatment Orders (see Old Community Orders). Commencing 16 January 2012, these sentencing orders have been replaced by a single Community Correction Order.

Community Correction Orders

The new Community Correction Order (CCO) is a flexible order that can have different conditions applied based on the circumstances of the offence, the offender’s needs and situation, and the direction of the court.

A CCO must have at least one condition, based on the risk and needs of the offender and the severity of the offence, including:

• supervision
• unpaid community work
• treatment and rehabilitation
• curfews
• bans on entering specified areas or places
• bans on entering many licensed premises and bans on drinking alcohol in other licensed premises
• bans on contacting or associating with specific people or group
• residential restrictions or exclusions relating to the offender’s accommodation.

A CCO may only include a community work condition.  This kind of CCO was previously known as a Community Based Order for Community Work Only (CBO/CW). 

Further to the CCO, there are also two types of community orders relating to the payment of fines:

• Fine Default Unpaid Community Work Orders

• Fine Conversion Orders

These two orders are similar because they have only have one condition - to perform unpaid community work. The offender is required to undertake the unpaid community work hours imposed by the court and report to a Community Corrections Officer when issues arise regarding attendance.

Fine Default Unpaid Community Work Orders and Fine Conversion Orders have replaced the ‘Community Based Orders in Default of Payment of a Fine’ (CBO/FD).

Community Work Permits (CWP) are issued by the Infringement Court for failing to satisfy fines from Infringement notices, for example, speeding fines.

For more information on the CCO and the reforms that commenced on 16 January 2012, see the latest version of the Sentencing Act 1991 and the Sentencing Amendment (Community Correction Reform) Act 2011.

For more information on court imposed community orders prior to Sentencing Reform, see Old Community Orders.

Parole Orders

When a prisoner is sentenced to more than 12 months imprisonment, there may be a period set where the prisoner is eligible for release on parole. Prisoners granted parole are still under sentence – parole is seen as a means of supervising and assisting prisoners to re-integrate into the community successfully, reducing the likelihood of reoffending.