Intensive supervision

Intensive supervision is a community-based rehabilitation sentence. It’s imposed if the court deems that a sentence of intensive supervision would reduce the likelihood of someone offending again by supporting their rehabilitation needs and re-integration back into the community.

Using intensive programmes and interventions, managed by an offender’s probation officer, intensive supervision targets offenders who are:

• assessed as being of medium to high risk of re-offending
• convicted of more serious offences
• have complex and/or severe rehabilitative needs.

Only a 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 rehabilitation needs as well as risks and recommended an appropriate sentence and programme.

Offenders can be sentenced to intensive supervision for between six months to two years.

How intensive supervision works

Intensive supervision involves special programmes for offenders on this sentence that can be accessed for up to two years.

There may be more special conditions imposed on someone under intensive supervision and they could have requirements like frequently reporting to a probation officer.

Conditions offenders must follow

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.

Holding offenders to account

If an offender doesn’t follow the rules we call this non-compliance and treat it very seriously. It might mean an offender gets:

• an internal sanction, for example a warning or increasing reporting requirements
• a formal breach action which may result in a further conviction, another sentence, such as community work, or imprisonment.
• an application to the court to cancel the sentence and replace it with a more restrictive sentence.