If the sentence is imprisonment, the court will decide if there is a good reason to suspend the sentence. This might be the case for young first time offenders with reasonable prospects of rehabilitation.
Offenders then sign a bond under which they promise to be of good behaviour for a set period of time and to comply with the conditions set out in the bond or promise. They are released, usually under the supervision of a probation officer. If they keep their promise during this time they do not have to go to prison. If a person breaks the promise, he or she is guilty of the offence of breaching the bond. He or she usually has to return to prison, serve out the rest of the original sentence and do extra time for breaching the bond.