North Wales Probation Area staff work with prisons to devise plans for effective resettlement in the community.
On Release
Most prisoners do not serve all of their sentence in prison. Some are supervised by the Probation Service on a licence from the prison or Parole Board. This requires the offender to have regular contact with the supervising officer and submit to certain restrictions on movement and behaviour.
Licence Rules
A basic licence issued by the Governor will contain the following rules:
- the Probation Officer must approve the suitability of the offender's job and accommodation
- the offender must not travel abroad without the permission of the Chief Officer and Parole Board
- the offender must attend appointments with the supervising officer
If at any time, the offender's behaviour gives cause for concern to the supervising officer, he or she can be recalled to prison to finish off the rest of the original sentence.
Extra Conditions
The range of requirements available for a Community Order can be imposed as licence conditions.
Suspended Sentence Order
This is a custodial sentence, but is suspended for a period ranging from six months to two years. During this period, the court sets community requirements from the same set of options that are available for the Community Order.
Standard Determinate Prison Sentences of 12 months or over
All offenders (other than those deemed dangerous) will be released automatically at the halfway point, irrespective of the length of the sentence. They will remain on licence until the end of their sentence, subject to executive recall. All will be eligible for a home detention curfew (HDC). The Parole Board will not be involved in release decisions for any prisoners on determined sentences, except those who have been assessed as dangerous by the court.
Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP)
A sentence imposed on adult offenders convicted of sexual and violent offences where there is 'significant risk to members of the public or serious harm' from further offences and where the offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years or over. On release, the offender will be subject to supervision on licence for at least 10 years, after which time the Parole Board may revoke the licence, otherwise it will continue.
Extended Sentence for Public Protection (EPP)
Where the sexual or violent offence committed carries a maximum penalty of less than 10 years, this sentence is required in the same circumstances as the IPP. The court must set a custodial period and extended licence period. The offender may be released on the Parole Board's recommendation at any time between the halfway point and the completion of the custodial period. The extended licence period may be up to five years for violent offenders and eight years for sexual offenders.
Deferred Sentences
The power to defer a sentence can only be exercised where
'the offender undertakes to comply with any requirements as to his conduct during the period of the deferment that the court considers it appropriate to impose'. If the offender commits another offence during the deferment period the court may have the power to sentence for both the original and the new offence at once. Sentence cannot be deferred for more than six months and in most circumstances, no more than one period of deferment can be granted.
Life Licence
Prisoners given a life sentence and then released, have to live under the basic licence conditions and other extra conditions until a decision by the Home Office rules otherwise. For the rest of their life, they are liable to be returned to prison to continue their sentence if they get into further trouble.
