Section 217: Requirement to avoid conflict with religious beliefs, etc.
546.Subsection (1) requires the court to try to avoid, as far as practicable, making any order which clashes with an offender’s religious beliefs, or with the times of his education or employment. Subsection (2) applies the same requirement to any instructions the responsible officer is to give during the course of the order. Under subsection (3) the Secretary of State has the power to add further restrictions by order. Additional restrictions may be required in the light of the experience of operating the new sentencing framework. For example, it might become necessary to introduce additional restrictions on the making of orders for offenders with particular domestic responsibilities if it were found that the new sentences were interfering with their caring responsibilities.
