Community Correction Order - Sentencing Advisory Council

The community correction order (CCO) is a flexible sentencing order that an offender serves in the community. A court can impose a CCO on its own or in addition to imprisonment or a fine. Courts can choose whether to record a conviction with a CCO.

Community correction orders are imposed in around 13% of cases in the higher courts (2023–24) and 7% of cases in the Magistrates’ Court (2023–24).

CCO Conditions

Offenders sentenced to a CCO must abide by standard (core) terms, including:

• not reoffending
• not leaving Victoria without permission
• reporting to a community corrections centre
• complying with written directions from the Secretary to the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

Courts must attach one additional condition to a CCO. Additional conditions may apply to all or part of the duration of the CCO.

Additional conditions can require the offender to:

• undertake medical treatment or other rehabilitation
• not enter, remain within or consume alcohol in licensed premises (such as a hotel, club or restaurant)
• complete unpaid community work for up to 600 hours
• be supervised, monitored and managed by a corrections worker
• abstain from contact or association with particular people, for example, co-offenders
• live (or not live) at a specified address
• stay away from nominated places or areas
• abide by a curfew, remaining at a specified place for between 2 and 12 hours each day
• be monitored and reviewed by the court to ensure compliance with the order
• pay a bond, which is a sum of money that the offender may have to give up (wholly or partly) if they fail to comply with any condition imposed.

An offender who breaches a CCO condition may be resentenced for the original offence. The offender may also face up to 3 months additional imprisonment for the breach.

Duration of CCOs

In the higher courts, the maximum length of a CCO is 5 years.

In the Magistrates’ Court, the maximum length of a CCO can be:

• 2 years for one offence
• 4 years for two offences
• 5 years for three or more offences.

Intensive Compliance Period

Courts may set an intensive compliance period for CCOs of 6 months or more. During this period, the offender must complete one or more of the conditions attached to the CCO.

For example, if a court imposes a CCO of 12 months, the first 6 months may be fixed as an intensive compliance period. During this time, the offender must complete a treatment program.

Justice Plan Conditions

For offenders with an intellectual disability, the court may attach a justice plan as a condition of a CCO. The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing prepares justice plans. Justice plans specify treatment services aimed at reducing the chances that the offender will reoffend.

Combined Orders (CCO with Imprisonment)

Courts can impose imprisonment with a CCO for one or more offences. This is known as a combined order. For combined orders, the CCO takes effect when the offender is released from prison.

The maximum term of imprisonment that can be combined with a CCO is 1 year.

Courts need to factor in any time that the offender has already served on remand before imposing a combined order.

Guideline Judgment on Community Correction Orders

Guideline judgments provide Victorian courts with guidance on how to sentence similar cases in the future.

In 2014, the Victorian Court of Appeal delivered its first (and only) guideline judgement. It contains guidance on how courts should use a CCO as a sentencing option. Our research found that the guideline judgement led to an increase in combined orders in Victoria (Sentencing Advisory Council (2016) Community Correction Orders: Third Monitoring Report – Post-Guideline Judgment).

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