Two to three weeks before release from prison, you will be shown your licence. It will detail, the rest of your sentence to be under the control of the probation service and the conditions you must adhere to in order for you to be released. It can have details of your address and in most cases this will have been agreed and organised before your release with the probation service.

You will be asked to sign it and in most cases you will already be aware of the contents, however do not sign it if you feel it is overly harsh, as you do not need to sign it! You can require your solicitor to view it first if you think it is draconian or against your human rights.

The other sections dealing with pre-release, release and accommodation have more information relating to the licence. For the most part, it is a mechanism for emptying overcrowded prisons and a means to keep an eye on the offenders who come out and hopefully to keep them out!

The licence system can include various courses, but these will only be able to be done if completion is assured within the length of time you are on licence. The most important point to remember is to always keep your appointments with your probation officer and seek approval for any sudden change in your circumstances you make, they do not like not knowing your movements.