Services
- Criminal Justice Social Work
- Bail Services
- Children and young people who offend
- Community Payback Order
- Court Orders involving Unpaid Work in the community
- Court Services
- Court reports
- Diversion from Prosecution Scheme
- Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTO)
- Fines and Compensation Orders
- Prison Social Work at Addiewell Prison
- Prison Through-care and Aftercare
- Probation Orders
- Restriction of Liberty Orders
- Risk Assessment and Management
- West Lothian's Criminal Justice Teams and their services
- Working with people - confidentiality, communication, consultation and comments
Restriction of Liberty Order (RLO)
Who runs Restriction of Liberty Orders in Scotland?
The Restriction of Liberty Order is operated by an independent company, Serco, on behalf of the Scottish Government. Initial assessments are carried out by local authority Criminal Justice Social Workers within Social Enquiry Reports .
What is a Restriction of Liberty Order?
It is a court order that requires a person to remain within their home at times specified by the court. Their compliance with the order is monitored electronically, by the person wearing a 'Personal Identification Device' (PID) or 'tag' (a device about the size of a digital watch, usually worn on the ankle). A 'Site Monitoring Unit' is installed into the person's home, which uses telephone technology to send a signal at irregular intervals to the tag to make sure the person is still in the house. Any failure to pick up the signal will result in an alert at the monitoring headquarters, and a Serco officer will attend the home of the tagged person to find out why there appears to be a problem.
When does the court use this order?
There are three main situations when the court tends to use this sentence:
- for offenders whose behaviour outside their home is causing concern. In this case, it is in effect a means of enforcing a curfew.
- for offenders who could otherwise have been imprisoned, when it becomes in effect part-time home imprisonment.
- the equipment can be used where appropriate to restrict someone from an area, for example to reduce risk of an assault.
What are the conditions of a Restriction of Liberty Order?
A tagged person is expected to:
- Stay at the restriction place during the times ordered, and not arrive there late
- Not attempt to remove the tag, or interfere or damage monitoring equipment
- Not move address without permission
- Not to physically assault monitoring staff
- Keep away from any area that the person is restricted from.
What should the restricted person do if there is an emergency?
As with any court order, the first thing is to advise the Supervising Officer, and people are given full contact details, including a Freephone number to phone.
What happens if someone does not comply with their RLO?
The procedures are broadly as for most court orders - a restricted person is expected to produce evidence of their reasons for not complying, and if this is not acceptable, the order can be returned to court by Serco under Breach Proceedings.
Updated: 07/09/11
