Community justice publications

Community Justice is a collection of individuals, agencies and services that work together to support, manage and supervise people who have committed offences from the point of arrest, through prosecution, community disposal or custody, and alternatives to these, until they are reintegrated into the community.  Working in partnership with local communities is an important part of this process, which aims to prevent and reduce further offending and the harm it causes.

Community Justice will be delivered in Angus by agencies working together with local communities and the citizens panel were surveyed so that their opinion could inform the development of a strategy for Angus.

This report details the results of the original survey undertaken in October 2016 with a second survey undertaken in June 2018. Although the citizens panel issued this second survey to the same pool of respondents it is not necessarily the same people who responded to the first survey that has also taken part in the second one.

Executive summary

• the most commonly cited kinds of crime that concerned respondents were vandalism, housebreaking and alcohol/drugs related crime.
• the majority of respondents over both surveys believe that providing opportunities for employment and/or volunteering, improved security and the provision of parenting support could contribute to crime prevention.
• 31%of the respondents in the 2018 survey indicated an interest in being involved in developing crime reduction options in their communities, compared to 29% in the 2016 survey
• the most popular options to be involved in crime reduction are now; improving the neighbourhood, provision of parenting support and advice, planting trees/creating green spaces and improving security.
• the majority of criminal justice interventions are widely recognised.  The least     recognised continue to be parole and non-parole licences.
• 88% of respondents in 2018 stated that it is either fairly or very important that less serious offenders are punished for their crimes, compared to a figure of 92% in 2017. The number of respondents who were satisfied that offenders receive adequate punishment for their crimes reduced from 33% in 2017 to 26% in 2018.  - 
• 76% of respondents in 2018  were in agreement that people who have committed less serious offences should be given community based sentences as an alternative to custody, compared to 75% in 2016. However the percentage of people who believed that prison should be reserved for the highest risk offenders who pose a danger to the public dropped from 72% in 2016 to 50% in 2018
• 51% of the respondents in 2018 were of the view that communities have a responsibility to support people who have offended, compared to 37% in 2016
• 90% of people agreed in both surveys that the decision between prison and community service should depend on the type of offence committed. In both surveys around opinion was equally divided on whether it is worth the cost of a prison term to keep offenders off the streets.
• 93% of the respondents to the 2018 survey were not aware of any community service work that has been done in their local area as a part of a community payback project, compared to 86% in 2016.  65% of those who were aware of Community Payback projects  had found out because they had seen work being carried out, compared to 86% in 2016.  In 2018, 26% of those who knew about community payback projects had found out about it through their friends, compared to 13% in 2016
• around 87% of the respondents to both surveys agreed that community service should be more visible in the community citing newspaper articles as a good way to do this.
• as well as newspaper articles respondents suggested the use of local social media and high visibility clothing as a way of publicising work in local communities.
• litter removal 91% was thought to be of most benefit in a local area. Environmental 62% and Parks Improvements 49% are also popular.
• around nine in ten respondents in both surveys thought that communities should have a say in identifying the projects which should be supported by Community Payback and 80% of the respondents thought that projects should be developed through consultation with community councils/local community groups.
• around 3 in ten respondents to both surveys indicated that they would be interested in getting involved in developing better community justice outcomes for Angus.

Please note throughout the survey totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding and because some questions have multiple choice answers where respondents can choose more than one answer.

(n = number of respondents)

Crime and Prevention

1. What are the three main kinds of crime that you are most concerned about in your area?

The most commonly cited kinds of crime that concerned respondents were:

• vandalism
• housebreaking
• drug/alcohol related crime

2. The factors below have been shown to contribute to crime prevention. Which of these options could be used in your community to help prevent crime? (Please mark all that apply)

The options the majority of respondents believe could contribute to crime prevention are:

• Providing opportunities for employment and/or volunteering 67% (60%)
• Improved security, eg better street lighting, creative use of space to reduce re-offending eg blocking of alleyways, secure access to blocks of flats 58% (60%)
• Provision of parenting support 52% (50%)

(n=118)

3. Would you be interested in being involved in any of these crime reduction options in your community?

Just under a third of respondents said that they would be interested in being involved in crime reduction options in the community. These figures are largely unchanged from those in 2017.

(n=150)

4. If you answered 'yes' to question 3 above, please indicate which one(s) (Please mark all that apply)

• providing opportunities to build stronger social relationships, for example the use of a community facility for socialising and activities: 20%
• providing opportunities for employment and/or volunteering: 18%
• provision of parenting support and advice: 45%
• improving the neighbourhood: 45%
• planting trees/creating green spaces to help reduce vandalism: 31%
• improved security eg better street lighting, creative use of space to reduce offending eg blocking of alleyways, secure access to blocks of flats: 31%

In 2018 there is now a joint first and second place choice for how they could contribute to crime reduction in the community. The most popular options were:       

•  
• improving the neighbourhood 45% this is a significant fall from 2017 (61%)
• provision of parenting support and advice 45% (36%)
• improving security 31% a significant fall from 2017 (52%)
• planting trees/creating green spaces 31% (33%)

(n=35)

5. Have you heard of the following criminal justice interventions? (Please mark all that apply)

• probation supervision: 53%
• community service by offenders: 72%
• parole licences: 31%
• non-parole licences: 12%
• diversion from prosecution eg fiscal fines, works orders, compensation orders: 40%
• drug treatment, testing orders, rehabilitation orders: 47%
• bail supervision: 33%
• electronic tagging, restriction of liberty orders: 65%
• custodial sentencing/imprisonment: 66%
• none of the above: 3%

The majority of criminal justice interventions are widely recognised although respondents awareness of electronic tagging stood at 65% in 2016 compared to 93% in 2018). The least recognised interventions were:

• non-parole licences 12% (22%)

• parole licences 31% (45%)

(n=133)

Punishment and sentencing

6. How important is it to you that less serious offenders are punished for their crimes?

• very important: 67%
• fairly important: 21%
• not very important: 8%
• not at all important: 1%
• no opinion/don't know: 2%

(n=125)

88% of respondents state that it is either fairly or very important that less serious offenders are punished for their crimes. This is largely unchanged from 2017(92%)  The majority of respondents indicated that there should be consequences for any type of crime committed.

7. How satisfied are you that offenders receive adequate punishment?

• very satisfied: 2%
• fairly satisfied: 24%
• not very satisfied: 46%
• not at all satisfied: 18%
• no opinion/don't know: 10%

Only 26% of respondents were satisfied that offenders receive adequate punishment, compared to 30% in the 2016 survey.

(n=24)

8. Please indicate the extent of your agreement or disagreement with the following statements:

People who have committed less serious offences should be given community-based sentences as an alternative to custody, to allow them to maintain social/family/employment links to reduce reoffending

• strongly agree: 23%
• agree: 53%
• neither agree nor disagree: 6%
• disagree: 13%
• strongly disagree: 5%
• no opinion/don't know: 1%

Communities have a responsibility to support people who have offended

• strongly agree: 6%
• agree: 35%
• neither agree nor disagree: 21%
• disagree: 23%
• strongly disagree: 14%
• no opinion/don't know: 2%

Prison should be reserved for the highest risk offenders who pose a danger to the public

• strongly agree: 9%
• agree: 41%
• neither agree nor disagree: 23%
• disagree: 6%
• strongly disagree: 13%
• no opinion/don't know: 9%

Summary:

• 76% of the respondents felt that people who have committed less serious offences should be given community based sentences as an alternative to custody, compared to 75% in 2016
• however, only 50% in 2018 now believe that prison should be reserved for the highest risk offenders who pose a danger to the public, compared to 72% in 2016
• 51% of the respondents in 2018 agreed with the proposition that communities have a responsibility to support people who have offended compared to 37% in 2016

Community service

9. Community service is unpaid work, intended to be of community benefit, that offenders are required to do instead of going to prison. A prison term of 6 months costs the taxpayer around £16 000, while a community service order of 240 hours of unpaid work costs around £2000. Bearing this in mind please indicate the extent of your agreement or disagreement with the following statements about community services. 2017 figures are in brackets.

Most respondents agreed with the following statements about community payback, compared to the previous survey (in brackets):

• the decision between prison and community payback should depend on the type of offence committed 90% (90%)
• community payback is better value for money than prison for some offenders, because they are giving something back to the community 78% (80%)
• community payback is a useful alternative to custody 80% (75%)
• 40% (39%) of people agreed that it is worth the cost of a prison term to keep offenders off the streets and 38% (39%) of people disagreed

10. Are you aware of any community service work that has been done in your local area in the last 12 months as part of community service?

93% of respondents were not aware of any community payback work that has been done in their local area, compared to 86% in 2016

11. How did you find out about the community service by offenders projects? (Please mark all that apply)

• they have done work for you: 9%
• you know someone who has had work done: 26%
• you have seen work being done in the community: 65%
• you have seen complete work: 16%

Those respondents who were aware of community service being done in their area because they had seen some work being carried out has dropped from 88% in 2016 to 65% in 2018. However the percentage of respondents knowing someone who has had community payback work carried out increased from 13% to 26% over the same time period.

(n=69)

12. Do you think community service should be more visible in the community?

• strongly agree: 43%
• agree: 45%
• no opinion/don't know: 7%
• disagree: 4%
• strongly disagree: 1%

The majority of respondents think that community service should be more visible in the community with 86% either agreeing or strongly agreeing.

(n=121)

13. How should work in communities be better publicised? (Please mark all that apply)

• plaques or signs: 61%
• newspaper articles: 58%
• local radio: 22%

Other suggestions included the use of social media and high visibility clothing

(n=167)

14. Thinking about these options, which types of community service, would be, or would continue to be, most beneficial to your local area?

• litter removal: 91%
• painting and decorating eg for community centres: 48%
• parks improvements: 49%
• environmental projects eg recycling, footpath improvement: 62%
• shopping services for sheltered housing tenants: 21%
• graveyard maintenance: 37%

The top three options thought to be most beneficial to their local area would be:

• litter removal 91% (compared to 87% in 2016)
• environmental projects 62% (compared to 80% in 2016)
• parks improvements 49% (compared to 68% in 2016)

(n=164)

15. Do you have any other ideas about community payback projects which would be of benefit to your local area? Please give details (please note that those doing unpaid work cannot undertake work that would normally be done by paid employees)

Suggestions included:

• beach cleans
• clearing snow
• maintaining hedge and verges in rural areas
• education projects for young people

16. Do you think the community should have a say in the projects helped by the Community Payback Scheme?

• yes: 87%
• no: 5%
• no opinion/don't know: 8%

The overwhelming majority of respondents in both surveys think that communities should have a say in the projects helped by the Community Service Offenders Scheme.

(n=126)

17. If 'yes' how could this be done? (Please mark all that apply)

• by telephone: 16%
• by email: 39%
• by letter: 22%
• in person at the local council office: 21%
• in consultation with community councils/local community groups: 76%

The majority of respondents 76% think that consultation with community councils/local groups would be the best way to give local communities a say in the projects helped by the Community Service Offenders Scheme.

(n=124)

18. Would you be interested in getting involved in developing better community justice outcomes in Angus?

• yes: 30%
• no: 50%
• no opinion/don't know: 20%
• 30% of respondents in 2018 stated that they would be interested in             getting involved in developing better community justice outcomes for Angus, compared to 34% in 2016

(n=124)