Serving your sentence

If you are an adult convicted of committing a crime in B.C., you may be required to serve your sentence in the community, in custody or a combination of both.

Community sentence

If you are required to serve all or part of your sentence in the community, you may be supervised by a probation officer and required to obey certain conditions set by the judge. 

See Community sentences (Adult offenders) to learn more.

Custody sentence

If you are required to serve your sentence in custody, you will serve it in a provincial correctional centre or a federal correctional centre. Where you serve your sentence will depend on the length of time the judge has ordered you spend in custody. If your sentence is:

• Less than two years, you will serve it in a provincial correctional centre. If ordered by the court, your sentence may be followed by a period of probation, supervised by a probation officer
• Two years or more, you will serve your sentence in a federal correctional centre. You will be eligible for statutory release after completing two-thirds of your sentence

You may also be eligible for parole.

See Serving a custody sentence (Adult offenders) to learn more.

More information

See Youth sentences to learn more about serving a youth sentence.