Intensive supervision is a rehabilitative community-based sentence that requires offenders to address the causes of their offending with intensive oversight from a probation officer. Offenders can be sentenced to intensive supervision for between six months and two years.
Who decides?
Only a sentencing judge can impose intensive supervision. They may take into account a pre-sentence report and recommendation from a probation officer who has assessed the person’s offending needs and what sentence and programmes are likely to be most suitable.
How does it work?
Offenders will have standard and special conditions imposed under intensive supervision. Offenders report to a probation officer who will explain the requirements and conditions of the sentence, including how often they have to report.
Standard conditions
Standard conditions include:
•reporting regularly to community probation
•restrictions on living and working arrangements
•restrictions on associating with certain people.
Special conditions
Special conditions include:
•participation in residential or non-residential treatment/rehabilitative programmes
•addressing any other issues that reduce the person’s risk of re-offending
•progress reports to the court regarding sentence compliance.
Who is intensive supervision for?
Intensive supervision targets offenders who have been convicted of more serious offences and who have complex and/or severe rehabilitative needs. They are assessed as medium to high risk of re-offending.