Bringing Offences to Justice
Community Payback
Community Payback, a scheme launched in 2005 by the National Probation Service, lets the people of Lincolnshire have a say in the type of unpaid work done by offenders serving a community order.
Current projects range from painting and decorating, coppicing and clearing ponds and overgrown areas, creating sensory gardens and nature trails and repairing playground equipment and outdoor furniture.
Lincolnshire benefits from about 50,000 hours of compulsory unpaid work every year – worth approximately £300,000 - but it often goes unnoticed.
This includes work for schools and charities, which they could not otherwise afford to carry out. Unpaid work combines punishment for the offender (Hard work and the removal of liberty / free time) with rehabilitation (Healthy and Safety training, literacy and numeracy skills and project planning / estimating of raw materials.)
Projects must meet certain criteria. For example, they must take place on public land, must not involve work which would normally be done by paid employees and must meet certain health and safety requirements. But within these guidelines there is plenty of scope for people to choose exactly what happens in their area.
You now have the chance to nominate projects you would like to see carried out in your area.
‘Phone Tony Connell on 01522 510011 or email info@justicelincs.gov.uk for further information or to register your suggestion.
Pre-Charge Advice Scheme
An exciting development has been taking place in Lincolnshire in the recent years, which involves the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers and Lincolnshire Police working closely together to reduce the number of dropped cases.
In 2005 the CPS took over the legal responsibility for deciding whom to charge and with what offence. Before this scheme, the decision to charge a person with a criminal offence was made by the Police. Sometimes the CPS would disagree with the charge and would drop the case.
Now lawyers are present in police stations across the county, providing advice to officers at any stage of a criminal investigation. The charge decision is usually reached by agreement, after discussion of the evidence and the special requirements of any witness in the case.
The benefits of this joint working are that the right person is charged with the right offence. Cases without sufficient evidence are dropped before a charge is brought and fewer cases are adjourned. Thus sentencers can use their time more effectively, hearing trials which are ready to proceed, thus speeding up the whole process of justice.
Also, the new team of CPS case builders works to improve the quality of the prosecution file and relieves operational police officers of some of their paperwork.
The scheme has been welcomed by both Police and CPS staff and is an excellent example of two criminal justice agencies working together under the auspices of the Lincolnshire Criminal Justice Board to provide a more efficient and effective service.