In Australia, suspended sentences are commonly imposed in order to alleviate the strain on overcrowded prisons.
As of 1 September, 2014, suspended sentences no longer exist in Victoria, and in its place are community correction orders, which can be for a fixed term to ensure good behaviour.
In the second situation, sentencing does not immediately follow the guilty verdict, but instead is determined after a period of probation.
When conditional imprisonment is imposed, the convicted person shall be notified, in connection with the pronouncement or the issue of the judgment, of the date when the probation period ends and of the grounds on which the sentence may be ordered to be enforced.
Courts can impose requirements on offenders (e.g. residency, non-contact, drug rehabilitation) as part of the suspended sentence, and combine it with a fine or order for restitution.
Initial sentence is enforced in case of convicted failing to fulfill conditions of the probation.
In England and Wales, a custodial sentence may, at the discretion of the sentencing judge or magistrates, be suspended for up to two years if the term of imprisonment is under two years and the offender agrees to comply with court requirements, which may include a curfew, performing unpaid work, and/or engaging in an appropriate rehabilitation programme.
[19] In some jurisdictions, the criminal record of the guilty party will still carry the offense, even after probation is adequately served.
[18] In other cases, the process of deferred adjudication prevents the conviction from appearing on a person's criminal record, once probation had been completed.