Community service orders are playing an increasingly important part in efforts to reduce reoffending in the Isle of Man.

Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson MHK highlighted the success of recent projects as evidence of how offenders are repaying their debt to society in a way that benefits local communities.

Community Service work groups have helped to rejuvenate a number of popular plantations, glens and beaches, created new leisure facilities and provided valuable assistance to Island charities.

The positive impact of such initiatives has prompted a call for more organisations to work in partnership with the Prison and Probation Service to offer suitable projects in the future.

Community service orders are handed down by the courts as an alternative to custodial sentences and require individuals to perform unpaid work in their own time. The approach has a restorative focus and is viewed as a means of imposing an effective punishment, while supporting the Department’s vision that prison is reserved for the most serious and persistent offenders.

Projects are usually carried out as part of weekend work groups under the direction of a Probation Officer and Community Service Supervisor. Individual placements can also be arranged.

It is estimated that more than 500 days (3,500 hours) of unpaid work will be completed by weekend work groups in 2016. This is an increase on 2014 and 2015 when approximately 430 days (3,000 hours) were recorded.

Notable schemes include the construction of several miles of off-road cycle trails and paths in Archallagan Plantation using materials funded by the End2End Legacy Project. Work groups have also helped to clear the exterior of the Onchan Silver Band hall, clean up the Onchan Pensions Club and assist Beach Buddies to remove thousands of tonnes of rubbish from the Island’s coastline.

In addition, it is hoped the Manx Woodland Trust can be supported in a long-term project to clear 20 acres of overgrown land around the Millennium Gardens at Hillberry to create new gardens, nature trails and areas of woodland.

Minister Watterson, whose Department is responsible for the Prison and Probation Service, said: ‘Crime prevention, sentencing and the rehabilitation of offenders are key aspects of our commitment to modernise the Island’s criminal justice system. Locking people up is not a one-size-fits-all solution, so we must explore other ways to achieve meaningful outcomes for offenders and victims.’

He added: ‘Community service orders are definitely not a soft option. This type of community payback is a positive way of holding people to account for the harm they have caused. Offenders are required to show discipline and commitment, often over many weeks, to complete the orders imposed by the courts, while their work improves the environment and helps local communities and charities. There is also growing evidence to suggest that restorative justice of this nature reduces the frequency of reoffending, which strengthens our efforts to combat crime and protect vulnerable people.’

Any charities or non-profit making organisations that wish to discuss possible community service projects with the Department of Home Affairs are asked to contact Jessica Welch at the Probation Office on 687332.

Photo - Archallagan footpaths.