The Intermittent Custody Pilot: A Descriptive Study

Findings 280

RDS Online Report 23/06


This report evaluates the implementation and operation of Intermittent Custody (IC) – a new custodial sentencing option enacted by the current Criminal Justice Bill. IC denies offenders their liberty whilst still allowing them to work, to learn new skills and to maintain family or community ties.

The report examines offenders sentenced to IC since the pilots started running on 26 January 2004 at Kirkham Prison (male offenders) and Morton Hall Prison (female offenders). The key aims of the descriptive study were to assess the uptake of IC, take stock of operational issues and examine the experiences of offenders sentenced to IC. Aside from analysing sentencing data, researchers interviewed sentencers, probation officers, prison staff and IC prisoners.

Overall, IC was welcomed as a means of mitigating the often disproportionate impact of short custodial sentences for offenders with employment and childcare responsibilities. However, a shortage of offenders suitable for weekday IC implied that weekend custody was the only viable option.