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Voters in Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland have been to the polls in an innovative scheme which gave local people the chance to decide on improvement schemes they wanted to be carried out through the Community Payback programme for offenders. The vote through the directgov website was part of the Ministry of Justice’s ‘Justice Seen Justice Done’ campaign in which people in 54 different parts of the country were given the chance to pick the top sites to be targeted through Community Payback, with the work being co-ordinated by the National Probation Service and local Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Co-ordinators. The top choice of five sites in Redcar and Cleveland was an area bordered by Red Lion Street and Lord Street in Redcar where graffiti and litter has now been removed from back alleys, broken fencing mended and greenery strimmed and cut back, resulting in the area looking much tidier and residents feeling safer. Meanwhile in Middlesbrough the most popular choice was a site in Netherfields where work has included repainting all street furniture such as bollards, chicanes and fences across the entire ward. It was a close call in Redcar & Cleveland, with the Red Lion Street site just ahead of the Pitch & Putt site in Guisborough in the voting. The other tidy-up schemes were at Greystone Community Forest at Grangetown, the Sunken Garden, Marine Parade, Saltburn, and Hampden Street and Simpson Street, South Bank, and will all be tackled in the near future. Work is also taking place at the four Middlesbrough runner-up sites of Jedburgh Street, Wake Street, Falkland Street and Bylands Street which are being tidied up in an initiative with the council’s BAIT team and local residents, which will see the back alleys transformed into places the local community can enjoy. The results of the campaign were warmly welcomed by Elaine Lumley, Chief Officer with the National Probation Service on Teesside who stressed that one of the main benefits of Community Payback was that it meant offenders are required to undertake work which can bring real benefits to the local area. She added “We have been really pleased to work alongside Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland Councils in helping local people identify the projects that they wanted to benefit from Community Payback. It means that the public can see that offenders are paying something back for the crimes they have committed and we are glad that we will be able to tackle all the projects that local people have identified. “We also know that working on these projects provides offenders with useful skills to improve their chances of securing employment and to help them to stop offending, resulting in fewer victims of crime in our local communities.” Added Redcar and Cleveland Council's Cabinet Member for Community Protection Councillor Dave McLuckie “Every year across the country over 55,000 criminals receive Community Payback – carrying out over six million hours of physical work in local communities to pay back for their crimes. “I think one of the main benefits of this campaign is that it has helped to raise awareness of what the programme is all about—and I hope that it will encourage local communities to recognise that Community Payback really can make a difference and that people will continue to put forward suggestions for projects which they believe could benefit.” Barry Coppinger, Middlesbrough’s Executive Member for Community Protection said: "The public want to know that criminals are made to pay society back for their crimes. Community Payback demonstrates to the public that community sentences are not a soft option and that offenders face consequences for their actions." “It provides them with an opportunity to reflect on the consequences of their crimes on the local community and will hopefully help support their rehabilitation into mainstream society.
But it’s important for people to see that the community sentences handed down by the courts benefit not only the offender but the whole community.” Government Ministers have given strong backing to the initiative with the Justice Secretary Jack Straw saying that the response to the campaign clearly demonstrated that the public wanted to have a say in Community Payback and want to see that Justice is being done in their community He added “As I have said it is crucial that the public should have a say in the community punishments offenders receive and that they have a right to know what offenders are doing in their neighbourhood to repay for the wrongs committed. “We are determined to open up the justice system across England and Wales. Recent steps to do this include the appointment of a dedicated Victims Champion, giving distinctive orange jackets to offenders and now ensuring the public know they have a say in punishing offenders.” Home Secretary Alan Johnson said:”It is vital that the public see that justice is being done and Community Payback is a crucial part of that. By making it possible for the public to have their say on which projects offenders should carry out in their communities, we are giving the law-abiding majority a voice, which in turn helps build their confidence in the criminal justice system. The key to ongoing success is ensuring that the public continue to be aware of Community Payback and understand how they can get involved in seeing justice being done.” Added Government Crime and Justice Adviser Louise Casey “People want to know that criminals are being made to pay back for their crimes. Community Payback schemes make this a reality and, very importantly, they also now give the public a say in what criminals must actually do to serve their punishment and pay back to local communities. ”Hopefully this will give local people confidence that the system is on their side and that punishment can be tough - then they might be more likely to report crimes and help the police bring more offenders to justice.” Members of the public can suggest projects to be undertaken through Community Payback by going to www.direct.gov.uk/CommunityPayback. |
Community Payback
Community Payback is an initiative by the National Probation Service. It provides the opportunity for local people to put forward their suggestions for projects they would like to be completed by offenders as unpaid work. 