Details of Supervised Release Orders (SRO) and supervision of offenders: FOI release

Information requested

“What crimes offenders who are automatically released halfway through their sentence have committed in order to remain under supervision for the rest of their sentence that they are serving in the community”?

Response

The only prisoners automatically released at the halfway point in their sentence would be those sentenced to less than four years (also known as a short-term sentence), but amongst that wider group the only individuals that would “remain under supervision for the rest of their sentence that they are serving in the community”, as you describe it, would be those that are also sentenced to a Supervised Release Order (SRO) by the court.

The Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 provides the powers for the court to impose an SRO, in relation to sexual offences (section 210A) and any other offences where it is necessary to “protect the public from serious harm from the offender on his release” (section 209) - with the discretion of when such a sentence will be applied sitting with the court.

The relevant sections of Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 are available at www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/46/section/209 onwards.

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