Failure to ensure that criminals are completing their community payback orders are a “slap in the face” for their victims, a councillor has claimed.
A recent study revealed that a third of all Perthshire criminals who are handed an unpaid work order instead of being sent to jail fail to complete it.
The report for Perth and Kinross Council also showed that one in seven offenders who swerved a prison sentence had not turned up for a single meeting with social workers.
Community payback orders were introduced in 2011 and replaced custodial sentences of three months or less.
The convener of the local authority’s scrutiny committe, Alexander Stewart, said changes needed to be made.
“On paper it seems like a good idea but in reality it is not working,” he said.
Mr Stewart said he was disappointed, but not surprised, by the findings of the report.
“This, I believe, is a slap in the face to the victims of crime who expect the courts and community justice to ensure that the punishment fits the crime,” he said.
He added: “Payback orders appear to be an easy option for both the courts and the offenders and many offenders obviously believe that they can get away with not completing their order and they do.”
“Obviously this is failing and those who commit crimes need to know that they will be punished and not given an easy way out,” he said.
“I believe that if this failure rate continues then there should be a complete review of the entire system and how relevant it is in today’s society.”
The report also showed that the number of community payback orders imposed has increased annually since they were first introduced.