Community payback orders down 7% in year
The figures were published in a report by Scotland’s chief statistician.
There was a 7% drop in the number of community payback orders (CPOs) issued to offenders last year, the latest figures show.
CPOs fell from 19,196 to 17,834 in 2017-18, with a successful completion rate of around 70%.
The orders are an alternative to custody, set up by the Scottish Government in 2011.
They are designed to ensure criminals give back to the community, and usually involve carrying out unpaid work.
The figures were published in a report by Scotland’s chief statistician, which said the drop in CPOs “reflected the change in court volumes over the period”.
The average age of people who received a CPO last year was 33, an increase of 2.5 years compared with five years ago.
Older people were more likely than younger people to successfully complete their orders, with a rate of 79% for those aged over 40 and 67% for those aged 40 and under.
Those in employment were more likely to complete orders (84%) than those unemployed or economically inactive (64%).
Mr Yousaf said: “From refurbishing and redecorating local facilities to gritting roads in cold weather, unpaid work projects make a real difference to communities.
“With the total number of hours around seven million, and evidence showing that those released from a short prison sentences are reconvicted almost twice as often as those given CPOs, the value of community sentences is clear.
“We are working closely with councils, third-sector partners and Community Justice Scotland to strengthen the provision of alternatives to custody and support our hard-working prison officers by ensuring prison is focused on those people convicted of the most serious crimes and who pose the highest risk to public safety.
“As we plan for the extension of the presumption against short prison sentences, which is supported by empirical evidence and was backed by the vast majority of consultation respondents, we have protected and strengthened funding for Scotland’s criminal justice social work services so that it now stands at just over £100 million.
“We also provide over £11.6 million to third sector organisations working to help reduce re-offending – keeping crime down and communities safe.”
There were 570 drug treatment and testing orders (DTTO) issued in 2017-18, up from 477 the previous year and the first annual rise since 2012-13.
The successful completion rate for DTTOs was 40% in 2017-18, the lowest in the last seven years.
Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, said the figures were evidence of “soft touch justice”.
He said: “It is an outrage that nearly a third of community sentences are not completed.
“The falling completion rate of drug treatment and testing orders also shows that the community justice system is not working effectively.”
He added: “Nicola Sturgeon’s plan to abolish sentences of less than a year could see almost 9,500 criminals avoid jail.
“In addition, it will just put more pressure on the community justice system, which already can’t cope.”
Labour’s justice spokesman Daniel Johnson welcomed the presumption against short-term sentences of less than 12 months but said it underlined the need to strengthen the community justice system.
He said: “Figures released today point towards a system that is inadequate given the chaotic lives of many individuals who receive community sentences.”
Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur also welcomed Mr Yousaf’s move, which he said was “common sense” and had been long demanded by his party.
He said: “The shift away from these destructive sentences frankly can’t come soon enough.”
