Community Justice seeks to prevent and reduce offending in a fair and effective way by addressing its underlying causes, increasing positive citizenship, increasing public safety and re-assurances and reduce costs. It is vital that the model includes victims and witnesses of crime; people who have offended their families; business and local companies.
If you would like more information on how Community Justice works in Angus email protectingpeopleangus@angus.gov.uk.
For a look at the national picture visit Community Justice Scotland.
Visit our unpaid work page if you are a member of a group or organisation in Angus and you have a community project that community service unpaid workers can assist with.
The Angus Community Justice Partnership brings together stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors to develop and deliver a Community Justice Outcomes Improvement Plan. Angus Community Justice priorities have been identified in line with the National Community Justice Strategy.
Angus Community Justice priorities have been identified in line with four of the structural outcomes contained in the National Strategy for Community Justice.
The priorities are:
Improved community understanding and participation in community justice:
- develop a stronger evidence base for 'what works' in community justice
- support effective community and voluntary sector engagement in community justice
- increase awareness of community justice issues and the range of interventions available to tackle them
- develop community/voluntary sector capacity to support co-production and co-delivery of services
Partners plan and deliver services in a more strategic way:
- utilise the community justice Profile to inform the future delivery of services
- integrate non statutory partners ie voluntary/private sector into community justice planning structure and processes
- share information about effective interventions, as well as client data where appropriate
- focus partnership interventions on early intervention
- establish effective links with community planning and children and adults services
- develop a more strategic approach to commissioning
- explore the potential for developing shared services with others local authorities
- direct resources towards services, programmes and projects which can demonstrate impact of delivery improved community justice outcomes
- identify and address workforce development needs
- produce a performance and self-evaluation framework to measure the impact of the Community Justice Outcomes Improvement Plan
Effective interventions are delivered to prevent and reduce the risk of further offending:
- develop and deliver an appropriate range of interventions to meet individual needs and reduce re-offending
- further develop individuals resilience and capacity for self-management and change
- improve life chances by identifying and addressing individuals service needs including those relating to health, financial inclusion, housing, safety, employability and support in maintaining relationships
- develop more consistent graded responses to compliance based on support rather than punishment
People involved in the community justice system will have a greater access to services:
- develop more effective engagement with the children and families of those who have offended
- identify and address the barriers stopping offenders and their families accessing services
- improve the outcomes for the victims and witnesses of crime
- perform early assessment of service users housing needs to maximise positive housing outcomes
- identify and address health improvement opportunities along every step of the community justice pathway
- improve service users access to financial/welfare advice services
- establish employability skills, training and lifelong learning at the heart of local planning
- review and further develop prisoners' pathways from custody into communities