Community Service
The Community Service Scheme provides a credible community-based alternative to imprisonment and is well-used by Sheriff Courts in Lothian and Borders. It consists of an offender carrying out unpaid work to the benefit of the Community.
A Community Service Order may be between 80 and 240 hours, although High Courts may impose up to 300 hours, and the number of hours imposed normally has to be completed within 12 months of sentence.
The type of work falls into 2 categories:
- placements where the offender is located in a residential home, day centre, charity shop, church or voluntary organisation etc. and
- Project Teams that undertake environmental projects such as re-establishing rights of way, rubbish clear-ups and small construction jobs.
Objectives
- To ensure that the service is managed and developed in a manner which is consistent with local and national standards and results in a credible and fair service in the eyes of courts, local communities and the offenders.
- To ensure effective enforcement of the conditions of the Order.
- To ensure that a sufficient range and number of work options are available to meet the requirements of the courts and which are suited to the ability and availability of each offender.
- To ensure that work carried out is done safely and to a high standard.
- To publish a range of performance information annually.
Community Service Achievements
These are examples of some of the projects that have been undertaken through the Community Service Scheme:
Unified Solutions.