Suspended sentence
 | This article does not have any sources. (July 2024) |
When someone is convicted of a crime, the court will deliver a sentence. The court can say that the person has to go to prison immediately, or that the person has to pay a fine. In certain cases, the court can give the person a second chance. That is called a suspended sentence. If the person does not commit another offense or crime (of a given type) within a certain time period, the person will not have to go to prison, or pay the fine. People say that the person is on probation. There can also be extra conditions attached to the probation. If the person re-offends, he or she will be given a sentence for the new offense. In addition, the sentence on probation will have to be met.
The court can also mix both systems: Someone might be convicted of three years in prison, and two of the three years are done as a suspended sentence.
In many law systems, suspended sentences are given for crimes that do not have long prison terms, and to people who are first-time offenders.
