Home Detention Curfew
Encyclopedia
Home Detention Curfew is a detention
scheme in the United Kingdom
whereby certain short-term criminals are released from prison
several weeks to months before the completion of their sentence to allow them to integrate back into society. The scheme is used for prisoners who are sentenced to terms greater than three months, long term prisoners (these serving a sentence of more than four years but excluding life sentence prisoners) may now also be considered for release on the scheme. HDC is not typically applied to sex offender
s or violent criminals
sentenced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
. Prisoners are assessed for risk prior to being released under this scheme and fitted with an electronic monitoring tag
to ensure that they do not violate the terms of their curfew
. Typically, such prisoners are required to remain in their designated home between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Detention (imprisonment)
Detention is the process when a state, government or citizen lawfully holds a person by removing their freedom of liberty at that time. This can be due to criminal charges being raised against the individual as part of a prosecution or to protect a person or property...
scheme in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
whereby certain short-term criminals are released from prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
several weeks to months before the completion of their sentence to allow them to integrate back into society. The scheme is used for prisoners who are sentenced to terms greater than three months, long term prisoners (these serving a sentence of more than four years but excluding life sentence prisoners) may now also be considered for release on the scheme. HDC is not typically applied to sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
s or violent criminals
Violent crime
A violent crime or crime of violence is a crime in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, as well as crimes in which violence is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent...
sentenced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
Crime and Disorder Act 1998
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act was published on 2 December 1997 and received Royal Assent in July 1998...
. Prisoners are assessed for risk prior to being released under this scheme and fitted with an electronic monitoring tag
Electronic tagging
Electronic tagging is a form of non-surreptitious surveillance consisting of an electronic device attached to a person or vehicle, especially certain criminals, allowing their whereabouts to be monitored. In general, devices locate themselves using GPS and report their position back to a control...
to ensure that they do not violate the terms of their curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
. Typically, such prisoners are required to remain in their designated home between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.