3. Prepare for your sentencing hearing

At your sentencing hearing, you or your lawyer should explain how serving your sentence on weekends would:

• help you rehabilitate
• follow the principles of sentencing

Make the court aware of any obligations you have related to:

• childcare
• your job
• going to school
• taking care of your health

Before you’re sentenced, gather documents such as:

• letters of support from employers or agencies where you have volunteered
• proof of a job or offers of a job
• personal letters of reference
• proof that you have enrolled in rehabilitation programs

If serving your sentence on consecutive days would cause you to lose your job, or be unable to finish school, bring documents to prove it.

At a sentencing hearing, the judge will also consider:

• your criminal record
• your personal history
• the circumstances of the crime
• what the victim has said about the crime

At the end of the sentencing hearing, the judge will decide whether you can serve your sentence intermittently on the weekends or on consecutive days in straight time. The judge decides your sentence based on what they think is appropriate and reasonable.