Some offenders are sentenced to a conditional sentence order (CSO).  A CSO is considered a custodial sentence served in the community, where the risks can be managed (SCC R v Proulx).

Usually, an offender is placed on strict conditions, including the statutory conditions (keep the peace) in addition to curfew, abstain, non-contact, or other clauses.   Those on a CSO should understand and follow all their court-ordered conditions. If you breach one of your CSO conditions, there could be serious consequences, as described in this article.

Consequences of Being Charged with a Conditional Sentence Order (CSO) Breach

If you are charged with a CSO breach, the number of days left in your sentence will be suspended.  The clock stops running at one of three times:

  1. When a warrant goes out for your arrest,
  2. When you are arrested without a warrant, or
  3. When you are compelled to appear in accordance with section 742.6 of the Criminal Code (whichever is earliest).

Time spent serving a CSO breach does not count for time and a ½.

CSO Breach Hearing

You are entitled to a CSO breach hearing within 30 days, however in practice, this rule is not strictly abided by prejudicing offenders.

Further, there are significant distinctions between a CSO breach hearing, and a criminal trial. Firstly, the Crown only has to prove you breached your CSO on a Balance of Probabilities. This means the Crown only has to prove it is more likely than not that you breached your CSO. This is a much lower standard than the Beyond a Reasonable Doubt standard in your typical criminal trial.

Secondly, the Crown has the option of submitting evidence to the Judge in a much quicker and simpler way than a typical criminal trial. For example, normally, in a criminal trial, the Crown must call evidence from a witness directly, to testify in court – their written witness statements are generally not admitted as evidence on their own. In a CSO breach hearing, the Crown has the option of proving the breach by filing a signed report from your probation supervisor, along with any signed witness statements if necessary.

Since a CSO is a community-based jail sentence, it is generally assumed that if you violate a CSO, you will complete the rest of your sentence in jail. However, the Judge may have alternative options available if they determine that you have breached your CSO.

Judicial Responses to a Conditional Sentence Order (CSO) Breach

There are 4 primary options a Judge can pursue if you are found guilty of violating your CSO:

1. The Judge may choose to take no action, allowing you to continue serving the remainder of your CSO;
2. The Judge could modify some of the conditions of your CSO while you continue to serve the remainder of your CSO;
3. The Judge can suspend your CSO and impose a jail sentence for part of the time remaining on your CSO. After serving your jail time, your CSO will resume, and you will continue to serve the balance with or without condition changes;
4. The Judge has the authority to cancel your CSO and impose a jail sentence for the entire remaining duration of your sentence.

The Judge is not permitted to extend your sentence beyond what remains to be served for your CSO.

In certain situations, the Judge may determine that you have served time on your CSO. For instance, if there is a delay between when the warrant was issued and when it was executed, the Judge might consider some of that time as served against your outstanding CSO sentence.

“Exceptional cases” and the “interests of justice” may also lead the Judge to grant time served against your remaining CSO sentence. In such instances, the Judge will evaluate the seriousness of the breach, any undue hardship experienced by you, and your compliance with CSO conditions during the suspension period.

Violating your Conditional Sentence Order initiates an extremely complex series of events that can result in very serious repercussions. If you have broken your CSO, a skilled criminal defence attorney can assist you in navigating the system as smoothly as possible.

If you would like a free 30-minute consultation, reach out to us now at (306) 502-5987.