Offenders are required to abide by the requirements of their Community Order or face stiff penalties.
Requirements typically include attending all appointments with probation and to carry out any other instructions given by the court, such as living in a certain place or attending an offending behaviour programme.
If offenders miss appointments without producing evidence that they had genuine reason or if they fail to cooperate with probation they will receive a warning in the first instance. If they continue to break the rules they will face breach proceedings and be returned to court.
The court could:
- Pass a more serious sentence
- Pass a different sentence
- Make the requirements of a sentence harder (e.g. increase in hours of Community Paback work)
- Send the offender to prison
The court cannot just issue a warning or a fine.
