Concurrent and consecutive sentences

If someone’s convicted of committing more than one crime, they’re usually given a sentence for each crime.

Concurrent sentences are served at the same time.

Consecutive sentences are served one after the other - eg a 6 month sentence followed by a 3 month sentence.

The judge (or magistrate) tells the person what type of sentence they get and how it must be served.

Suspended prison sentences

A ‘suspended’ prison sentence is carried out in the community.

The person has to meet certain conditions - eg:

having to stay away from a certain place or person
doing unpaid work - called ‘Community Payback’

If the person breaks the conditions of their sentence they can be sent to prison.

Determinate prison sentences - fixed length of time

A ‘determinate’ prison sentence is for a fixed length of time.

If the sentence is for 12 months or more

For prison sentences of 12 months or more the person spends the first half of the sentence in prison and the second half in the community ‘on licence’.

If they break any licence conditions - eg they commit another crime - they could go back to prison.

If the sentence is under 12 months

For prison sentences under 12 months, the person’s normally released automatically half-way through.

Indeterminate prison sentences - no fixed length of time

An ‘indeterminate’ prison sentence doesn’t have a fixed length of time.

This means:

no date is set when the person will be released
they have to spend a minimum amount of time in prison (called a ‘tariff’) before they’re considered for release

The Parole Board is responsible for deciding if someone can be be released from prison.

Indeterminate sentences are given if a court thinks an offender is a danger to the public.

Life sentences

If a person’s found guilty of murder, a court must give them a life sentence.

A court may choose to give a life sentence for serious offences like:

rape
armed robbery

A life sentence lasts for the rest of a person’s life – if they’re released from prison and commit another crime they can be sent back to prison at any time.

Whole life term

A whole life term means there’s no minimum term set by the judge, and the person’s never considered for release.

1Sentences for young people

People under 18 get different sentences to adults.

Detention and Training Order

A Detention and Training Order can be given to someone aged between 12 and 17.

They last between 4 months and 2 years.

The first half of a Detention and Training Order is served in custody, the second half is served in the community.

Violent or sexual crimes

For severe crimes - usually violent or sexual - young people can get an ‘extended sentence’. They could spend a long time in custody, and when released they’ll be put under supervision for a long time (eg being tagged).

Murder

For murder, the court sets the minimum amount of time to be spent in custody. The young person can’t apply for parole before this time.

When released, the young person will be kept under supervision for the rest of their life.

Other serious crimes

Sometimes the sentence for a young person can last as long as the sentence for an adult for the same offence (but not longer). This includes life sentences.