{"id":5889,"date":"2026-02-06T15:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T15:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krayemandco.com.au\/staging2026\/?page_id=5889"},"modified":"2026-03-15T08:27:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T08:27:24","slug":"full-time-imprisonment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/krayemandco.com.au\/staging2026\/full-time-imprisonment\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Time Imprisonment"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Home > \r\nFull Time Imprisonment<\/p>\r\n

Full Time Imprisonment<\/h1>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n\r\n
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Full time prison is the most serious type of penalty that a Magistrate or Judge can give for criminal and traffic offences in NSW.<\/p>

An imprisonment sentence can be either full time prison or an alternative to full time prison spent in the community so that you\u2019re not locked up.<\/p>

An alternative to full time prison includes an intensive corrections order which is an imprisonment penalty where you do not actually go to prison.<\/p>

Full time prison is a type of penalty where you are detained \u2018behind bars\u2019 for a period of time determined by the Judge or Magistrate.<\/p>

The courts will only impose full time imprisonment as a sentence of last resort, after having exhausted all other possible alternative penalties. The Court\u2019s job is to impose the most appropriate penalty to the case.<\/p>

To get the best chance at avoiding full-time prison for a criminal or traffic offence it\u2019s important to understand the law behind this type of penalty and how to best prepare a sentence.<\/p>

Normally, where a Judge imposes a full-time prison sentence of anything more than 6 months for an offence, the Judge must impose a \u201cnon-parole\u201d and \u201cparole\u201d period. The combination of non-parole and parole period is considered the total term of a sentence of imprisonment.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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FAQ<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is a \u2018Non-Parole\u2019 and \u2018Parole\u2019 Period? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t
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A \u201cnon-parole\u201d period is the minimum time required to be detained in prison for the offence. The parole period is the period of time you\u2019re able to be released from custody to spend the remainder of your sentence term in the community, often under the supervision by a community corrections officer.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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When Can You Be Released on Parole? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t
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A non-parole period of 3 years or less means that the offender will be subject to a \u2018statutory parole order\u2019 directing his\/her release on parole upon the expiry of the non-parole period.<\/p>

However, a non-parole period of more than 3 years means that the offender will not have the \u2018statutory parole order\u2019 directing his\/her release on parole after completing the non-parole period. In that instance, the offender will be eligible to be released on parole- where the parole board decide whether the offender is to be released on parole.<\/p>

The Court cannot impose any conditions of parole. The conditions and terms of parole are decided by the parole authority.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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How Long can the Non-Parole Period Be? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t
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The non-parole period is normally not allowed to be less than three quarters (75%) of the total term of the sentence (including the non-parole and parole period) for NSW offences. This means that you serve a longer period in prison with a shorter period on parole (if released on parole).<\/p>

However, the Judge is allowed to reduce the ratio between the non-parole period and parole period- so that the parole period is extended, effectively reducing the non-parole period if there are \u201cspecial circumstances\u201d in the case. This will result in the total term of the sentence to remain the same but you will spend less time behind bars if there are \u201cspecial circumstances\u201d in your case.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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What is \u201cSpecial Circumstances\u201d? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t
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If the following one or more combination of features apply to your case, the Judge can reduce the minimum time you\u2019re required to spend in full time prison by increasing the parole period outside prison:<\/p>