Offenders Being ‘Turned Away’ From Community Service

Offenders given community service orders are being turned away because there are not enough supervisors, it was claimed last night. Staff shortages mean some offenders are escaping their due punishment while missing out on rehabilitation. One staff member who spoke to The Herald said the most serious violent and sexual offenders spent their time “colouring-in and drawing” because there were too few social work staff to oversee the programme, a claim disputed by officials.

Campaigners last night said a wider rethink was needed about how the programme was funded and managed.

According to unions, the number of trained supervisors in Glasgow has been cut by almost one-quarter in recent months, but shortages are understood to be felt in other parts of Scotland.

The aim of community service orders is to provide unpaid work of value to the community as an alternative to prison. The court can stipulate offenders serve between 80 and 300 hours. CSO supervisors are paid between £14,800 and £15,100.

Last night Brian Smith, secretary for Unison social work, said: “Offenders are being turned away because there are not enough supervisors.
“In the past few months the number of community supervisors (in Glasgow) has been reduced from 29 to 22. They have obviously cut the capacity. Of the 22 people left, there is a high level off sick due to stress. These people are working in a stressful area. We are not convinced their wages are enough.”
The effects of the shortages were spelled out by a staff member who spoke to The Herald.

The source said: “On average there are four people sent away from each of the three offices each day because there is insufficient cover for them.” He added: “There are some unable to do painting and decorating – usually because they are considered a risk, such as a sex offender. They go to one of the three units and do drawing and colouring-in. The public might think they do litter picking or remove chewing gum but they don’t.

“We had one guy who got 200 hours community service for culpable homicide. The ones we see have not committed minor offences. Most have been convicted of serious assault or using a weapon.”

Another source who works in community sentencing said: “The problem of what constructive work to do with this people is one that runs right across the country. However, Glasgow has real problems with resourcing and sheriffs are getting frustrated by this.”

Glasgow City Council denied offenders are sent home because of lack of supervision and said it “strives to meet this national standard” of seeing offenders within three weeks of sentencing.

Last month The Herald revealed that, since 1999-2000, there has been a 37% rise in the number of CSOs, a move almost universally welcomed by ministers and academics who believe that short-term prison sentences are expensive and ineffective.

Sheriffs have already expressed concern at the level of supervision provided by social work departments for those on CSOs.

Bernadette Monaghan, head of Apex, a charity working with offenders, believes community sentences are more cost-effective than prison but must be applied consistently across the country. “Community service has to be a lot more than people just turning up for appointments,” she said. “We need to refocus on the programmes offered. Ideally, we should look at constructive work and employability skills.”

Eric Jackson, social work spokesman for Cosla, said: “If we are going to put more people on community disposals rather than sending them to prison, as the evidence suggests we should, then there is going to be an issue in terms of resources and capacity. I am not saying it is a crisis but it is an issue that needs to be tackled and there are a lot of improvements which need to be made in this area.”

Concerns about the resourcing and suitability of community sentences will be heightened by current ministerial plans to introduce far greater community monitoring of offenders through the “prison plus” scheme.

A spokesman for the council said: “Proper supervision of sex offenders while they fulfil their community service order is a priority. Work includes the making and painting of children’s toys, which are then given to charities.”

The spokeswoman added: “As part of a reconfiguration of the service, we recently reduced the number of supervisors from 29 to 22. This has not affected the standard of service provided. Several staff are currently off sick but this has not had a significant impact on the operation of the service. No-one on a community service order is being sent home because of a lack of supervision.”