Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014: Key Reforms to Release, 12‑Month Post‑Sentence Supervision, Drug Testing, and Community/Suspended Orders – Practitioner Briefing

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Practice notes

Why was the Offender Rehabilitation Act introduced?

The Ministry of Justice identified that about 50,000 short-sentence prisoners were leaving custody without any rehabilitation support. Those coming out after brief terms were at greater risk of reoffending, with this group responsible for around 85,000 crimes each year. The legislation forms part of the government’s wider reforms to probation.

Implementation dates

The Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 (ORA 2014) received Royal Assent on 13 March 2014. From 1 June 2014, certain measures took effect, including provisions on supervising and rehabilitating female offenders, the officer responsible for implementing orders, and offenders sentenced by Service Courts. The remaining provisions, which relate to offender rehabilitation, commenced on 1 February 2015.

What does the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 change?

Release arrangements

ORA 2014 introduces several changes to the release arrangements in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (CJA 2003) for people serving custodial sentences of under 12 months, and for those serving between 12 months and two years...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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