Basic Legal Knowledge
Procedures during criminal hearings
Juvenile Court
Arresting procedure, my rights and obligations
Free or subsidized legal assistance
Protection for victims
Punishment and sentencing options
Criminal records and the Rehabilitation of Offenders Ordinance
The RHO and suspended sentences
A suspended sentence is a sentence of imprisonment for the purposes of the RHO. When a sentence is suspended, the court imposes a prison sentence, but does not order it to take effect immediately. Under section 109B of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Cap. 221), a court which imposes a sentence of not more than two years' imprisonment may suspend that sentence for a period of not less than one year and not more than three years. The prison sentence is left hanging over the head of the offender for the period of the suspension. A suspended sentence which does not exceed three months; duration can become spent under section 2(1) of the RHO; a longer sentence cannot.