'More intense labour' in community sentencing

Knife crime offenders on 300 hours' community service face intensified work

Monday, 01, Sep 2008 11:09

The Home Office has "toughened" community service for knife offenders, in a bid to bolster public views about the punishment's effectiveness.

It has given courts the power to make unemployed offenders facing the maximum 300 hours complete their labour penalty in "intensive" blocks of up to five days a week.

At present 74 per cent of community payback programmes run on either a Saturday or a Sunday, when more offenders are expected to have free time.

A pilot will run in West Yorkshire to see whether the "intense work" proposals can be rolled out to include all offenders required to complete 200 hours of community payback.

The government will then consider whether the intensive punishment can be rolled out to more of the 55,571 offenders who completed over six million hours of community service last year.

Justice minister David Hanson admitted today's move was influenced as much by public perception as it was by the need to further toughen community service punishments.

"It is important that the public can see and influence the work that is being carried out by offenders in their neighbourhoods," he said.

"This is crucial to ensure that there is confidence in community sentences."

Mr Hanson said it was already possible for the public to suggest projects for offenders to work on and added community panels, which the government intends to set up in the near future, will formalise this process further.

The Home Office is responding to Gordon Brown's pledge to strengthen existing community service and make it more "visible".

The prime minister has been keen to be seen acting against knife crime in particular after a significant rise in the number of violent murders in London this year.