Edinburgh residents are being asked for their views on Community Payback Orders (CPO) which are given by the Court to people to pay for their crimes as an alternative to a prison sentence.
In particular, we would like to know what you think about the unpaid work part of a CPO which replaced community service in 2011. This is when an individual who has committed an offence does unpaid work in the community.
Examples of unpaid work include:
- repairing and reinstating headstones in local cemeteries
- developing and maintaining children's play areas
- recycling projects including bicycles and outdoor furniture
We are seeking your views on the effectiveness of community payback as a way to reduce re-offending and we want to know:
- Do you have any experience of people doing unpaid work in your community?
- Do you think unpaid work gives people the opportunity to repay the community for the crimes they have committed?
- Do you have any ideas about residents, community projects or organisations who could benefit from unpaid work support?
As well as using the questionnaire to comment on community payback you can also recommend groups, residents, organisations or projects that may benefit from unpaid work through the online suggestion form.
Councillor Tim Pogson, Chair of Edinburgh Community Safety and Justice Partnership, said:
We want to hear from the people of Edinburgh about their views on Community Payback Orders, and the work carried out by the people subject to them.
We continue to take a dynamic and evaluative approach to Community Payback Orders and the views of our citizens are crucial to this process.
Another goal of the consultation is to find new areas and opportunities in the capital for unpaid work to be undertaken. Past examples of this work include community clear-ups, repainting community centres and the ‘Brake The Cycle’ scheme, wherein individuals serving CPOs are involved in renovating bicycles, learning new skills and gaining confidence in themselves and their wider community. These along with other activities allow key organisations such as charities to receive support whilst simultaneously allowing individuals serving CPOs to give back to their communities.
Through this consultation and collection of information we want to promote more discussion with communities about unpaid work opportunities. These processes are key to properly understanding how CPOs help not only the individuals serving them in terms of reoffending, but the tangible benefits these bring to communities across our capital city.
The information we collect will help us to improve how we work with communities and help to increase understanding of CPOs and their importance in helping people reintegrate into society and reduce the likelihood of them reoffending.
This consultation opened on Monday 19 June 2023 and will run until Monday 11 Sept 23.