What is a community correction order?
A community correction order (or CCO, for short) is an
alternative sentencing option that a court can choose to impose
instead of a term of imprisonment. It is a community-based order
that requires a period of "good behaviour" from the
offender as well as submission to other relevant conditions. A
supervision order or a community service work order are commonly
attached to a CCO.
CCOs were introduced in 2018 as part of a major overhaul of
NSW's Local Court sentencing regime. Under the reforms CCOs
were described as a more flexible order that provided a
non-custodial alternative to full time imprisonment while still
allowing for supervision and intervention into a person's
offending behaviour. A CCO is the strictest community-based order a
person can be put under; the next step is some form of
imprisonment.
