What a curfew?
A curfew requires you to stay at an agreed address during the times you have been told. Usually this is between 7pm and 7am. It is commonly known as electronic 'tagging' and it is a way of restricting your liberty - rather like 'house arrest'.
Being tagged can make it harder for you to commit further crimes. It can help break your patterns of offending by making you stay at the agreed address.
Many people who are tagged say it gives them a new sense of structure and discipline.
There are two types of curfew:
- Curfew Order - imposed by the courts on offenders over the age of 16
- Home Detention Curfew - imposed by the Prison Governor as part of your early release from prison.
What is the tag?
It is a way of making sure that you are staying at the agreed address during the times you have been told. The tag will be attached to your wrist or ankle. It is a small electronic device which looks like a watch.
Your tag is linked to a monitoring machine installed in the place where you are living. The machine is linked via a telephone line to a monitoring centre. Staff at the monitoring centre can immediately tell if the curfew is broken and can return you to court or prison if you break the curfew.
How long will the curfew last?
If the order was made by a court then it can be for a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of six months. This is known as a Curfew Order. If you are assessed as suitable for the curfew while in prison you can be released from a minimum of two weeks and up to a maximum of 90 days earlier than you normally would be.
The length of the original sentence also affects the length of the curfew period. This is known as a Home Detention Curfew (HDC).
Normally your curfew will begin on the day and time specified by the court or the day you are released from prison.
What if I don't have a telephone?
If you don't have a telephone, one will be provided at no cost to yourself. All calls you make to the Monitoring Centre will be free.
You will not be able to use the telephone provided to make any other calls other than to emergency services.
What is probation's role in curfews?
We will assess your suitability for curfew. They closely consider the effect it will have on the other people living at the same address as you while you are on the curfew. They also consider the effect on the local community.
A probation officer will provide a written report to help the Prison Governor decide if a person can be released early from prison on a Home Detention Curfew.
We provide courts with written reports about the suitability of a curfew. This report helps magistrates and judges decide whether to sentence people to a Curfew Order.
Can I be on Curfew Order and another Order?
Yes. You may be on a curfew and sentenced to another order such as Unpaid Work. A curfew can also be a stand alone order. So you may be on a curfew with no other requirements.
Helpful hints for offenders on curfew
- Always leave plenty of time to get home for the start of your curfew to allow for heavy traffic The time on the site monitoring unit is correct at all times, use it to check your watch or clock
- Remember to have enough food, toiletries and cigarettes etc. to see you through your curfew period each day
- It will help to keep a good supply of electric cards or coins if you have a pay as you go meter
- Make sure you have arranged your domestic and family arrangements around your curfew hours
- If you have an appointment with an agency, doctors or require hospital treatment etc. make sure that you make them aware that the Monitoring Centre will phone to verify your attendance, arrival/departure times, and that they may give out such information
- If your circumstances change which affect your curfew, e.g. you gain employment, change employment or you are moving house, then you must make an application to the Magistrates Court, or ask the Prison Governor, for a variation of the Curfew Order.
- If you are unsure of any of the conditions of the Curfew Order, the Monitoring Centre is staffed at all times. Please telephone the Centre and the staff will be able to answer.
