Criminal Behaviour Orders

The provisions relating to the CBO are in Part 11, Chapter 1 of the Sentencing Act 2020 (the "Act"). The provisions came into force on 1 December 2020.

The CBO is an order on conviction, available following a conviction for any criminal offence in the Crown Court, magistrates' court or youth court.

  1. Prohibits the offender from doing anything described in the order (which might include a condition preventing specific acts which cause harassment, alarm or distress or preparatory acts which the offending history shows are likely to lead to offences (for example the individual entering a defined area);
  2. Requires the offender to do anything described in the order (for example, attendance at a course to educate offenders on alcohol and its effects).

It replaces the Anti-social Behaviour Order (ASBO) and the Drinking Banning Order (DBO); the guidance about which have been archived.

The main differences between the ASBO on conviction and the CBO are:

The court may make a CBO against an offender only on the application of the prosecution, and only if it is made in addition to:

  1. A sentence imposed in respect of the offence, or
  2. An order discharging the offender conditionally.

It follows that an order may not be combined with an absolute discharge nor be imposed at the same time as the court defers sentence.

The test for making a CBO: first and second conditions (s331))

The first condition of the CBO test is that the court must be satisfied, that the offender has engaged in behaviour that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person, (s331)(1)(a)). The ASBO requirement that the behaviour be directed towards persons "not of the same household" as the offender is repealed.

There is no requirement in the legislation for a nexus between the criminal behaviour which led to the conviction and the harassment, alarm or distress to be proved for the CBO. Evidence to show this type of behaviour other than criminal convictions can be used albeit the criminal standard of proof will apply. Harassment, alarm and distress must, however, be proved to the criminal standard.

The second condition of the test for imposing a CBO is that the court must consider that making the order will help in preventing the offender from engaging in such behaviour (which causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person), (s331(1)(b)), (see R v Janes [2016] EWCA Crim 676).

This second stage of the test is, crucially, different from that for an ASBO on conviction, in that the court no longer needs to be satisfied that an order is necessary to protect persons in any place in England and Wales. The case law relating to necessity under the ASBO provisions is not relevant to the CBO assessment.

No standard of proof is set out in the legislation for this condition. It is suggested that (as with ASBOs) determination of this condition will be an exercise of judgement or evaluation to be made by the court.

When making an assessment as to whether or not the order will help, prosecutors should look at the nature of the conduct, its frequency, duration and impact on victims or a community, likelihood of repetition, previous convictions and responses to past sentences and ASB interventions. If the offending is more serious, even if it has not been repeated, an application may still be appropriate.

It is important to put before the court evidence to show the court why the CBO will help in preventing future harassment, alarm or distress. The offence itself may be sufficient evidence to prove that an order will help, but prosecutors should also consider calling additional evidence to establish this point.

Commencement and duration (section 334)

An order comes into effect on the day it is made, unless on the day the CBO is made (the new order), the offender is subject to another CBO (the previous order). In such a case, the new order may be made so as to take effect on the day on which the previous order ceases to have effect.

The order must specify the period for which it has effect.

In the case of a CBO made before the offender has reached the age of 18, the order period must be a fixed period of:

  1. Not less than 1 year, and
  2. Not more than 3 years.

In the case of a CBO made after the offender has reached the age of 18, the order period must be:

  1. A fixed period of not less than 2 years, or
  2. An indefinite period (so that the order has effect until further order).

Within those duration periods, a CBO may specify periods for which particular prohibitions or requirements will have effect (ie they may last for a period less than the entire duration of the order).

File review

The police will usually raise the possibility of an application against an individual at the point of charge, but prosecutors should also be alert to cases in which a CBO application may be appropriate when charging / reviewing a file. In these circumstances, the prosecutor might ask the police to consider whether an application for a CBO is required and included with the file submitted to the CPS after charge.

A local authority may approach the prosecution directly with a request to consider an application for an order without having to go via the police.

The police / local authority must provide evidence to support the request for a CBO, namely:

The procedure by which the police request the CPS to apply for a CBO is set out at Annex A English edition. The procedure by which a local authority requests the CPS to apply for a CBO is set out at Annex B English edition, Annex B Welsh edition. Guides for the police and local authorities about preparing applications are at Annex C English edition, Annex C Welsh edition and Annex D English edition, Annex D Welsh edition.

The review of a CBO application must be carried out by a Crown Prosecutor. Crown Prosecutors must note the following: • Review as to whether to apply for a CBO is separate from review of substantive charges. • If no criminal charges are proceeded with, there can be no application for a CBO. • The proposed application and supporting evidence must be reviewed prior to the application being served. • As well as the criteria being made out, it must be in the public interest to apply for the CBO. • The decision whether to apply for the CBO must be recorded on the review screens of the CPS Case Management System (CMS). The recording should include the outcomes of discussions with agencies (for example, Youth Offending Teams) about whether to apply for a CBO.

Evidential Considerations

An application for an order on conviction may be supported by:

The court may consider evidence led by the prosecution and evidence led by the offender. It does not matter whether the evidence would have been admissible in the proceedings in which the offender was convicted.

The standard of proof to show that the offender has engaged in behaviour that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, is to the criminal standard.

In all cases, prosecutors should give notice to the defence of evidence on which the prosecution intends to rely, (Rule 50 of the Criminal Procedure Rules). The defendant must be given the opportunity to consider the evidence in support of the order and the notice should be given as soon as practicable, without waiting for a verdict.

It is important that the prosecution identifies the facts which are alleged to constitute behaviour which caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. If the facts are not accepted, they must be proved, to the criminal standard, by the prosecution.

In relation to a defendant's previous convictions:

Civil Rules of Evidence

Prosecutors must follow civil evidence rules when using such evidence (Civil Evidence Act 1995).

In M v DPP [2007] EWHC 1032 Admin, (an ASBO case), the court held that failure to serve a hearsay notice was a procedural irregularity. In the circumstances of this case, the absence of the notice caused no prejudice to the defendant. The court was at pains to point out that it did not regard compliance with the rules as a mere technicality and was concerned that little consideration was given as to why unidentified witnesses were not called to give evidence and why special measures were not considered.

Hearsay Evidence

If the prosecution (or the defence) intend to rely on hearsay evidence, Criminal Procedure Rules 31.6, 31.7 and 31.8 apply. These broadly correspond with Rules 3, 4 and 5 of the Magistrates' Courts (Hearsay Evidence in Civil Proceedings) Rules 1999 which apply in civil proceedings in magistrates' courts. The hearsay notice should be served at the same time as the notice of intention to apply (as soon as practicable without waiting for verdict), and in any case it should give reasonable and practicable notice of the proposal to introduce the hearsay evidence (section 2 of the Civil Evidence Act 1995). A model hearsay notice is at Annex E.

Unused Material

As applications for CBOs are civil in nature, Part 1 Criminal Procedure & Investigation Act 1996 and the Attorney General's Guidance of Disclosure of Material in Criminal Proceedings do not apply. There is no obligation to disclose unused material in CBO applications. The usual rules governing the conduct of prosecutors apply and all cases should be presented in a fair and balanced manner.

Making the application

Procedural rules for the making, variation and revocation of behaviour orders (including the CBO) are set out in Part 31 of the Criminal Procedure Rules, which apply in both the magistrates' and Crown Court. A Notice of Intention to Apply is at Annex F.

Court Procedure

The proceedings in which the defendant is convicted are criminal. The proceedings in which a CBO is applied for are civil, even though they are conducted by a criminal court.

The question whether to make an order is not part of the sentencing process, so the court should decide the appropriate sentence and then decide whether to make a CBO, whether at the sentencing hearing or a later hearing.

The court may adjourn any proceedings on an application for a CBO even after sentencing the offender. If the offender does not appear for any adjourned proceedings the court may:

  1. Further adjourn the proceedings
  2. Issue a warrant for the offender's arrest, or
  3. Hear the proceedings in the offender's absence.

The court may not issue a warrant for the offender's arrest unless it is satisfied that the offender has had adequate notice of the time and place of the adjourned proceedings.

Once an offender is sentenced, the court has no power to remand him in custody or on bail (with or without conditions). As such, prosecutors, should seek to ensure, wherever possible, that the order is made at the sentencing hearing.

If, for any reason, the application for the CBO has to be adjourned after sentence, the prosecutor should consider applying for an interim order (see below). Relevant circumstances might include the need to immediately protect specific individuals or section of the community, any history of failing to surrender or non-compliance with court order, the reasons for the adjournment and the length of time until the next hearing. An interim order must be served within 7 days in order for it to take effect and the police / ASB team will need to be in a position to make personal service and provide evidence of that, if we are to prove that the offender is aware of the order.

If the offender fails to appear at the next hearing, the court may proceed to make the CBO in absence, but the court may not proceed in the offender's absence unless it is satisfied that the offender:

  1. Has had adequate notice of the time and place of the adjourned proceedings, and
  2. Has been informed that if the offender does not appear for those proceedings the court may hear the proceedings in his or her absence.

Although there is no requirement that the full CBO be served personally on the offender, best practice would be to ensure that this occurs when the offender does not appear in person, if we are to avoid the offender arguing that his lack of awareness of the order amounts to a reasonable excuse for the breach.

An alternative to proceeding in absence might be to request an adjournment or seek a warrant associated with a request that the court make / continue with a interim order.

If a court refuses to impose an order that the prosecution has applied for, the advocate must make a note of the reasons why on the Hearing Record Sheet.

Prohibitions and requirements

Pursuant to section 331(4), prohibitions and requirements must, so far as practicable, avoid:

Prohibitions

A CBO may, for the purpose of preventing an offender from engaging in behaviour which caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person, prohibit the offender from doing anything described in the order (s330).

The principles supporting prohibitions on ASBOs will be relevant as to whether a prohibition can be placed on a CBO, (see Annex G).

The Guide to ASBO prohibitions in reported cases outlines case law which should still be used when seeking prohibitions in CBOs, (see Annex H).

Prosecutors should be familiar with the case of R v Simsek [2015] EWCA 1268, which concerns a variation of a CBO to an ASBO with only the first prohibition. The second condition, which concerned the prohibition on possession of drugs paraphernalia, was not reinstated, as the prohibition was less specific and precise than that which was found to be unnecessary in R v Briggs [2009] EWCA Crim 1477. The third (and final) prohibition, which prohibited the possession of herbal substances, was also not reinstated in the ASBO. The scope of this prohibition exposed the applicant to breach proceedings for being in possession of a wide range of items which are lawful and which bear no obvious relationship to the ASB that formed the subject of the indictment. The final part of this prohibition, concerning being in possession of any self-seal bags, was too wide.

It is possible that the prohibitions sought will interfere with one or more of the offender's ECHR rights. Interference with some rights is justifiable where it is necessary, prescribed by law, and proportionate, (R v Boness [2005] EWCA Crim 2395).

Requirements (s.333)

A CBO may include positive requirements that assist in preventing the offender from engaging in behaviour that could cause harassment, alarm and distress in the future. Such requirements could include attendance at a course to educate offenders on alcohol and its effects.

If an order includes a requirement, it must specify the person who is to be responsible for supervising compliance with that requirement. The person may be an individual or an organisation.

Before including a requirement, the court must receive evidence about its suitability and enforceability from:

  1. The individual to be specified in the order, or
  2. An individual representing the organisation to be specified in the order.

The court must also consider the compatibility of the requirements.

Care should be taken to ensure the requirements of a CBO are not duplicated in the terms of any community or suspended sentence imposed by the court. There may be circumstances where it would be more helpful in terms of preventing criminal behaviour to have the requirements as part of a CBO, rather than a community order or suspended sentence. Regard should be had to the power of arrest and penalties available for breaching the CBO.

Interim Orders (s335)

Section 26 sets out the powers of the court to make interim orders. Section 26 applies where a court adjourns the hearing of an application for a CBO.

The court may make a CBO that lasts until the final hearing of the application or until further order (an interim order) if the court thinks it is just to do so. Section 22(6) to 22(8) and section 25(3) to 25(5) do not apply in relation to the making of an interim order. Subject to this, the court has the same powers whether or not the CBO is an interim order. Accordingly, an interim order may be varied or discharged.

Interagency Working

Liaison with other agencies as to the progress and result of an application is important. Where possible the person who has prepared the application (police or local authority) should attend court to assist the prosecution advocate, even if there is a prospect of the case being adjourned. This will allow all parties involved to be aware of orders made for enforcement purposes, and also assist victims and witnesses being kept aware of the progress of the case. In the event of the defendant not being convicted for any reason, there is no power for the court to impose a CBO. The party that prepared the application should be advised of the outcome as soon as possible so that alternative anti-social behaviour tools can be considered. Care should be taken to not mislead the defendant that these tools may not be used.

Domestic abuse

Where there is a named victim and the offence is one which falls within the broad definition of domestic abuse, an application for a restraining order is usually more appropriate than a CBO and it can also be made on acquittal as well as conviction. A CBO may however, in a small number of cases, be appropriate taking into account the specific facts of a particular case.

A key distinction between a restraining order and a CBO is that the restraining order is to protect a named individual. Unlike a restraining order, a CBO can also include requirements which could be drafted to protect an individual and a sector of the general public.

In R v Terence Robert Maguire [2019] EWCA Crim 1193, the Court of Appeal imposed a CBO on a defendant with conditions to inform the police of any address at which he resides and to provide the police with the name and address of any female which whom he resides for period of 14 days or more. The Court of Appeal imposed these conditions as they were necessary to address the risk that the defendant posed to women that he may enter into a relationship with in the future. The judgement also sets out the importance of conditions being drafted in a way which can be clearly understood and monitored.

Hate Crime

An increasing number of incidents of anti-social behaviour are targeted at particular individuals, rather than neighbourhoods. Such incidents may appear minor but the impact on the victim and their families may be devastating and life changing. Hate crime can also have a negative impact on cohesion and integration in communities if incidents are not dealt with quickly and effectively.

A common feature of hostility based offending is escalation: from relatively minor but common behaviour to increasingly serious and even life threatening offending. Where there is evidence of hostility towards personal characteristics such as ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability, prosecutors should be proactive in seeking further evidence from the police.

Correctly identifying an anti-social behaviour case as a hate crime is important because the case can then be flagged and treated as a hate crime. This means that we will follow hate crime prosecution legal guidance and take account of victim support needs in accordance with our policy regarding victims of the most serious crime.

Hate crime legal guidance includes: racially and religiously aggravated crime, homophobic and transphobic crime and disability hate crime.

In all cases of hate crime, prosecutors should consider whether it is appropriate for the police to make further enquiries, for example:

In recent years, a number of high profile incidents have underlined the link between anti-social behaviour and disability hate crime in particular. Where the anti-social behaviour is targeted at a particular individual who is disabled or has a member of their family who is disabled, it is important that the prosecutor is proactive in seeking further information from the police.

Gang Related Crime

CBOs can be used to disrupt gang offending.

Prosecutors should be alert to the possibility of gang offending in a wide range of cases (including those involving drugs, firearms, offensive weapons, criminal damage, theft and domestic abuse) and, where appropriate, consider applying for a CBO.

CBO prohibitions to prevent gang offending include: non-association; exclusion zones; curfews; the wearing of hooded clothing; possession of unregistered mobile phones; and contributions to websites.

Social Media

CBOs are a useful tool to address the abuse of social media. Prosecutors should refer to the Guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media.

Appeals

A defendant has a right of appeal against a CBO made by a magistrates' court by virtue of section 108 Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, as "sentence" includes any order made on conviction, (section 108(3) Magistrates' Courts Act 1980).

Where the order is made by the Crown Court the defendant's right of appeal is the Court of Appeal Criminal Division, (section 9 Criminal Appeal Act 1968). An appeal is appropriate where the offender seeks to argue that the order should not have been made, or the prohibitions are wrong. If the offender seeks to argue that circumstances have changed, then an application to vary or discharge the order may be more appropriate.

Variation or discharge of an order (s336)

Applications to vary or discharge an order on conviction may be made under section 336.

A CBO, including an interim order, may be varied or discharged by the court which made it on the application of:

  1. The offender, or
  2. The prosecution.

If an application by the offender is dismissed, the offender may make no further application without:

  1. The consent of the court which made the order, or
  2. The agreement of the prosecution.

If an application by the prosecution is dismissed, the prosecution may make no further application without:

  1. The consent of the court which made the order, or
  2. The agreement of the offender.

The power to vary the order includes extending the term of the order or including additional prohibitions or requirements in the order.

In the case of a CBO made by a magistrates' court, the "court which made the order" includes any magistrates' court acting in the same local justice area as that court.

An application for variation or discharge (in relation to an ASBO) will be appropriate "to deal with change of circumstances or, potentially, the passage of time, where the offender is able to come back to the court and say that he has mended his ways, left the area, got a proper job or any other considerations which may lead the magistrate to think that the prohibition on him can now be lifted".

The procedure to follow when seeking to vary or revoke a behaviour order is set out in Rule 31.5 of the Criminal Procedure Rules. No forms for the application are specified. The application is generally made by letter setting out the variation sought and enclosing the evidence relied upon. A template application for variation of a Criminal Behaviour Order is at Annex I.

If a prosecutor wants the court to take account of particular evidence then as soon as practicable written notice must be served on the court officer, the defendant and any other person on whom the court directed the application to be served setting out the evidence and attaching any written statement that has not already been served.

It is advisable to ask for a hearing date 14 days after the service of the application. The court can allow an application if all parties have been given at least 14 days to give notice, (CrimPR 31.5(5)(b)). This practice allows the court to hear the case in the absence of the defendant.

The court officer must: