How should offenders repay society? (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

How should offenders repay society?

COTSWOLD communities are being invited to decide how offenders pay them back for their crimes.

A new scheme has been launched which enables local people to suggest the type of unpaid work done by offenders serving a community order.

County probation officers say some 30,000 hours of work - worth around £180,000 - benefits Gloucestershire every year, something that often goes unnoticed.

Currently, projects range from graffiti removal to repainting village halls and cooking for the elderly.

Gloucester Probation Area boss Yvette Ball said: "The project encourages people to feel involved in and informed about what goes on in their neighbourhoods.

"Local people are being encouraged to join forces and help make their community a better place by becoming actively involved in the selection of projects."

Suitable projects must be for the benefit of the community and involve a certain amount of hard work on the part of those being punished.

Siddington Village Hall and Newholme Day Centre in Cirencester, the Cotswold Water Park Society, footpaths in Fairford, South Cerney Outdoor Education Centre and Westonbirt Arboretum, have all benefited from unpaid work by offenders.

The new initiative, which was officially launched on Friday, is called Community Payback.

Manager Allan Thompson (corr) said: "We will look at any request and always provide an explanation if it is not suitable.

"The main aim of Community Payback is for local communities to tell us what they want done. People can call us directly and we will see if we can help.

"We try to get offenders to work in their own community if it's possible, but it is a small county and sometimes we have to move people around."

For further information, or to recommend a scheme for Community Payback, contact Gloucestershire Probation Area on 01452 426330/426354.

Alternatively, email steve.hanson@gloucestershire.probation.gsx.gov.uk

HOME Office figures indicate that for every burglar successfully rehabilitated, nine further crimes in the South West could be prevented.

Former offender Alan Hill, who helped launch Community Payback last week, would not disagree.

The 36-year-old has worked off many hours of community service in the past and has been out of trouble for more than two years.

He started shoplifting at the age of 18 and believes he has been rehabilitated by working in communities.

He said: "When you do the work you can see what you are giving the community - you have to get out there and you don't get paid. I was also given respect by my supervisor and the people I was working with, which was very important to me."

Among the projects Alan worked on was South Cerney OEC, maintaining the borders of the lakes, cutting back trees and keeping paths clear.

He says the work gave him discipline and structure to his day and made him feel like he wasn't a criminal.

"I think offenders are better off being given community service before jail is considered," he said.

NPS director Roger Hill said: "Prison sentences will always be necessary as the most suitable measure for dealing with serious crimes, but community sentences can be highly effective at punishing offenders and preventing reoffending.

"The Probation Service is committed to delivering these sentences as effectively as possible and I am confident we can help offenders live crime-free lives."