One of the key challenges for the Scottish justice system is dealing with low level offenders who commit crimes that cause havoc, disturbance, upset and fear in communities.
For many, the punishment could be a short prison sentence. But if the aim is to punish and prevent repeated offending, the evidence shows that prison is not working for these types of offenders.
Many low level behaviour Such short periods give prisons no real time to address the underlying causes of offending offenders get caught in a 'revolving door' existence of regular stints in and out of prison.
See what the experts say about low level offenders
Community Payback Orders
The new Community Payback Order comes into effect on 1 February 2011. It will give courts the flexibility to impose one or more of a range of requirements, depending on the nature of the crime and the underlying issues that need addressed to stop the offending behaviour.
When sentencing the offender to a community payback order the court could require them to:
- Carry out hours of unpaid manual work in the community
- Be subject to periods of supervision
- specific conduct requirements Comply with
- Pay compensation to the victim(s)
- Participate in alcohol, drug or mental health treatment interventions.
At the same time tougher sanctions are being introduced to deal with those who do not comply with their order.
This means offenders are being punished by being sent out to improve streets and neighbourhoods to repay communities for the damage caused by their crimes; and at the same time, addressing the underlying issues that can influence their repeat offending behaviour, such as drugs or alcohol addiction
Some examples of unpaid work being carried out by offenders across Scotland include:
- Clearing pathways of snow or ice
- Building eco-plant areas for school children
- Repainting community centres or churches
- Cleaning beaches
- Growing vegetables and distributing the produce to care homes and local charities
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