Scottish government boosts community sentencing with £4m

Communities will “see real benefits” in their local areas from an increase in community sentences the Scottish government claimed after announcing £4 million extra funding for the scheme.

The money will go to community justice and voluntary sector partners to increase the use of community sentences as part of the Scottish government’s drive to reduce reoffending.

The use of community sentences is on the rise, with more than 1.8 million hours of unpaid work imposed in 2014/15 as part of Community Payback Orders (CPOs).

Justice Secretary, Michael Matheson, announced the funding on a visit to Clydesmill Fire Station Community Garden, which is being constructed by people carrying out unpaid work.

Mr Matheson said: “The number of CPOs imposed by the courts continues to rise since their introduction five years ago and they are having a huge impact, both on our local communities and the individuals who can use them to turn their lives around.

“And with reconviction rates at a 17-year-low, it shows our approach is beginning to work. Increasing the use of robust community sentences is part of our wider approach to reducing reoffending which includes reducing the use of remand, strengthening our use of electronic monitoring and a new model for the female custodial estate.”

Sacro chief executive, Tom Halpin, said: “The effectiveness of community alternatives to short prison sentences is now well understood and this additional £4 million investment to support partners, including the voluntary sector is welcome.

“To gain wider public support, community sentences need to be credible, that means challenging as well as supporting people who want to change, to work with them so they can pay back to their own communities, to repair the harm caused by their offending.

“Robust, person centred approaches in the community meets the needs of all affected, this includes victims, communities and offenders. The additional support this will provide, like supervised bail supervision and mentoring, offer smarter ways to further reduce reoffending while also reducing the prison population.”