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
Suspended sentence
The court may impose a fixed term of imprisonment and then order that the sentence shall not take effect for a fixed period of one to three years. This is called a suspected sentence and the practical effect is that the offender needs not serve any prison sentence unless that offender commits an offence again within the prescribed period of time during which the sentence is suspended.
Suspended sentences cannot be imposed in respect of certain offences, which are set out in Schedule 3 of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Chapter 221). They include robbery, indecent assault and other serious crimes. Moreover, suspended sentences are only applicable for those offenders who are sentenced to not more than two years imprisonment.