Disclaimer
SentenceWise provides general information only.
It is not legal advice. It is not medical, psychological or clinical advice. Using it does not create a solicitor–client relationship, and no answer, checklist or explanation in the app is a substitute for advice from a qualified professional who knows your situation.
What the app will never do
- It does not calculate release dates. Sentence calculation is complex, individual and done officially. Only your official sentence calculation paperwork is authoritative.
- It does not predict outcomes. No screen in the app tells you what will happen in your case, your hearing, your parole review or your application.
- It does not replace official documents. Always verify anything that matters against your own court orders, licence conditions, sentence calculation sheets and letters from official bodies — and with a solicitor or other qualified adviser.
Rules and policies in England and Wales change. Each topic in the app shows the date its sources were last checked, but there can always be a gap between a real-world change and an app update. If the app and an official document disagree, the official document is right.
In an emergency
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999. If you cannot speak safely, listen and follow the operator's instructions — on a mobile, press 55 when prompted to be connected to the police.
If you are struggling and need someone to talk to, Samaritans are free to call, day or night, on 116 123.
Samaritans, the emergency services and every other service listed in the app are independent of SentenceWise. They do not endorse the app, and their inclusion is for your information only.
Credits and data sources
Public sector information
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source organisations and document titles are identified within the application and in its source register. Some material has been adapted and simplified by SentenceWise. No government department or public body endorses this application.
The source register
The app keeps a register of the current official operational policy documents for prisons and probation in England and Wales, built from the GOV.UK collections of Policy Frameworks, Prison Service Instructions (PSIs), Prison Service Orders (PSOs) and Probation Instructions (PIs). As at 30 July 2026 the register lists 261 documents — 124 policy frameworks, 84 PSIs, 18 PSOs and 35 probation instructions. Documents open at source on GOV.UK, so the current official version is always the one shown. (Since 2019, new policy is issued as Policy Frameworks; PSIs, PSOs and PIs remain in force until replaced.)
Notice-of-rights translations
The Home Office publishes the official notice of rights and entitlements for people detained by the police in more than fifty languages. The app links to these official documents rather than copying them, so you always see the current official version in each language.
Service directory
Details of helplines and support services in the app — numbers, hours and what each service offers — are compiled by SentenceWise from official sources and independently verified before inclusion. Services change their details from time to time; if you find an entry that is out of date, please tell us via the support page.
Original content
Original SentenceWise editorial content is written by the project and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. The application source code is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. See the terms of use for the full licence and trademark notice.