A total of £148 million will be invested in community justice
services next year to help reduce reoffending so there are fewer
victims of crime.
The funding in the draft 2024-25 Budget includes an additional
£14 million to encourage wider use of robust community-based
interventions where appropriate.
Evidence shows such interventions, including Community Payback
Orders and Structure Deferred Sentences, can be more
effective than short-term imprisonment at reducing reoffending
and assisting with rehabilitation.
The £148 million will be distributed across a range a range of
community justice partners, including local authority justice
social work services and third-sector organisations.
Justice Secretary said:
“Protecting the public and delivering safe communities is my
absolute priority.
“This significant investment in community justice will support
organisations to work together to ensure that people who have
offended address the underlying causes of their behaviour and pay
back to the community where appropriate. This aims to encourage
rehabilitation, reduce reoffending, and protect the public,
leading to fewer victims and safer communities.
“While prison is needed for those who pose a risk to public
safety, evidence shows that community-based interventions and
sentences can be more effective in reducing reoffending than
short-term custodial sentences, while robustly managing risk.
“This funding is part of our overall £3.8 billion Budget
investment in justice for 2024-25 which will support policing and
other frontline services and help to deliver a safe, secure and
resilient country.”
Background
Scottish Budget
2024-25
The reconviction rate for those given Community Payback Orders in
2018-19 was 29.8% compared to 52.1% for those completing
custodial sentences of one year or less.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/reconviction-rates-scotland-2018-19-offender-cohort/
A Community Payback Order (CPO) is a sentence served in the
community, rather than in custody, supervised by justice social
work services. CPO's aim to ensure that people convicted of
offences pay back to their communities. They also provide an
opportunity to address factors underlying offending behaviour
such as substance misuse or mental health issues.
A Structured Deferred Sentence(SDS) is a community-based
intervention for people convicted of an offence. SDSs provide a
period of time between conviction and sentencing in which people
receive support and assistance from a justice social worker or
third sector partner organisation in order to reduce the
likelihood of further offending behaviour. If the person meets
the terms of their SDS - and depending on the nature of the
offence - they may receive a reduced sentence, a community-based
disposal or be admonished and dismissed from court.
