Community based Court Orders

These orders offer the opportunity for an offender to serve their sentence in the community. They authorise the release of the offender to the supervision of Community Corrections as part of the sentence imposed by the court.

Benefits

For offenders and the their families benefits include:

• the ability to stay with family or friends enabling them to get help and support from parents, or continue to raise and support their children
• the ability to take part in rehabilitation programs at an earlier point than if they were in custody
• the ability within the conditions of their order to continue to have as normal lives as possible.

For the community:

• cost of managing the offender in the community is far less
• the offender will often be sentenced to carry out community service, and
• better outcomes reduced recidivism with less future victims.

Community based orders consistently show better outcome rates and reduced reoffending thereby contribute to community safety.

Court order conditions

Conditions imposed by the court on the offender may include:

• good behaviour
• supervision by a community corrections officer
• not leaving South Australia without permission, and
• not owning a firearm or ammunition.

The court can also set additional conditions which allow specific offending behaviours to be addressed.

These include:

• attending programs designed to help with issues or concerns
• performing community service, and
• ordering the offender not to consume alcohol or any drug not medically prescribed.

Offender management

A plan is developed for offenders on community based orders.

This can include:

• set times the offender has to report to the community corrections centre
• program and activities designed to address the reason for their offences
• alcohol and drug testing, or
• psychosocial supports and stable lifestyle factors such as housing and employment.