Community Payback Orders (CPOs) came into being in February 2012 to ensure that offenders can pay back to society, and to particular communities.
This has to be done in two ways: firstly an offender is required to make reparation, through for example unpaid work, previously called community service, and secondly they must address and change their offending behaviour.
During the course of 2011-12 the Courts imposed 379 CPOs on individuals within East Ayrshire. 300 of these contained an Unpaid Work Requirement (UWR) which equated to 39,542 hours of work. These hours were used to carry out a number of services within communities, including gardening, painting and decorating, snow clearance and projects such as graffiti removal and community clean-ups.
Within East Ayrshire, CPOs are implemented by the council’s Criminal Justice Social Work Services (CJSW). The council has a shared service partnership arrangement in place with North Ayrshire Council and South Ayrshire Council to deliver CJSW services. This is governed by a joint committee comprising local elected members from the three local authorities. The East Ayrshire CJSW service also operates within the planning and partnership framework of the South West Community Justice Authority CJA to improve the management of offenders and reduce re-offending.
More detailed information can be found in the Community Payback Order Annual Report 2015/16 or contact us on the details provided below.