Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014
View on legislation.gov.ukIndependent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
Summary
The Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 reformed the supervision of offenders released from custody in England and Wales. Its central change was to extend statutory post-release supervision to offenders sentenced to short custodial terms of under twelve months, who had previously been released with no licence or supervision at all — the group with the highest reoffending rates. Every such offender now serves a period of supervision in the community after release, with rehabilitation activity requirements aimed at resettlement ('through-the-gate' support). The Act formed part of the Government's 'Transforming Rehabilitation' programme, which also restructured probation by creating Community Rehabilitation Companies — a model since reversed, with probation re-unified under a single public-sector Probation Service.
Key Points
- Supervision for short-sentence prisoners
- Rehabilitation activity requirements
- Reform of licence conditions
- Through-the-gate resettlement services