Community Payback
Community Payback is a punishment handed out by
the courts. It’s demanding work, carried out by offenders in the
community. They have to wear orange high-visibility jackets, marked
Community Payback, so you can see that they’re
paying back your community for their crimes. Led by the Probation
Service, it is a national scheme delivered locally.
Members of the public can have their say about what
Community Payback work offenders do in their
community. Projects can range from litter removal or clearing dense
undergrowth, through repairing and redecorating community centres,
to removing graffiti. Whatever the work is, it must:
- Benefit the local community
- Not take paid work away from others
- Not make a profit for anyone
- Provide sufficient work to fully occupy a group of
offenders
- Be within the capabilities of the local Community
Payback Unit to undertake
- Satisfy Health and Safety requirements
Over 10,000 hours of community payback have been carried out in
Thanet (up to October 2009) since January 2009 and more than 2000
of these hours are directly from resident suggestions.
April 2009 Vote
In April 2009 Kent Probation carried out a vote on five 'grot
spot' areas across Thanet. 179 Thanet residents voted and the
winning area was St Peter's Churchyard, which has now been brought
back to its former glory thanks to the hard work of community
payback. Most importantly this work has been really appreciated by
local residents who often walk through the area and compliment the
teams on their hard work.
We spoke to one offender, Gary, aged 19, who was working at
the churchyard, to see what impact he felt community payback had
had on him. He said: “I have been cutting back the overgrown grass,
removing mud and carrying out a lot of ground clearance so that
people are able to see the graves.
Community Payback is a punishment because I like my
freedom. I am quite restricted because I have to come
here each week and carry out the work.
Getting Community Payback has made me think
about my crime and it’s definitely a deterrent from doing this sort
of thing again, especially as next time it could be prison.
The work also helps me gain labouring
skills. Ive been unemployed for quite sometime and perhaps
these new skills will help me find a job in the future.”
Other areas
The other areas from the vote will also be worked on by the
teams:
Dane Valley Neighbourhood
There is a general state of disrepair in this neighbourhood.
Graffiti is particularly rife along with fly tipping and vandalised
public spaces. The children’s play park is full of glass and
dangerous objects and needs an extensive clean.
Newington Neighbourhood
This area is being slowly reclaimed by the
local community but more needs to be done to remove litter and fly
tipping of abandoned furniture as well as graffiti.
Northdown Park, Cliftonville
This well used and popular park is blighted by
litter and graffiti. Community Payback already commit some time to
this area but more hours would help to improve the open space for
all that use it.
Dane Park, Margate
This park has seen a vast improvement over the
past 3-4 years with new equipment, CCTV and landscaping. Additional
Community Payback will see this park and its improvements
maintained to a high standard.
Does Community Payback really make a difference?
Reoffending rates demonstrate that nearly 60% of offenders that
go to prison will reoffend within a year. Of those that complete
community payback work less than 40% of offenders reoffend. It is
also a great way of giving back to the community and teaches many
life skills for offenders to go on to employment.
|