Tayside’s criminal justice budget is being strained further by community payback orders, a report has shown.
The region saw 53 orders imposed in the first three months after their creation, the report by Tayside Community Justice Authority chief officer Neil Llewellyn states.
The orders were unveiled as a Scottish Government policy in a bid to prevent short-term prison sentences.
They came under fire when it emerged the first person to have one imposed upon him Lawrence Winter of Perth swiftly breached it and ended up behind bars anyway. The orders can include a range of non-custodial aspects including unpaid work or drug and alcohol treatment.
Mr Llewellyn states it is likely to be a year before their effectiveness can be assessed and he said problems have arisen already.
In Angus, there have been 12 orders imposed but, with 10 having an element of unpaid work attached, the authorities there say they are stretching resources.
The report from Angus states, “Significant increases in unpaid work activity are projected beyond the capacity of Angus’ existing resources.
“With no additional money for CPO implementation, this will cause serious difficulties.”
Dundee Sheriff Court imposed 33 CPOs and eight were handed out in Perth and Kinross.
Mr Llewellyn welcomed the promise of Scottish Government cash to support CPOs. A £1 million Project Initiation Fund will enable councils to buy the likes of equipment or minibuses to ferry participants around.
Another £3 million will be available via a Payback Sports Facilities Fund to improve sporting amenities using the labour of offenders on CPOs.
Criminal Justice Authorities will receive up to £375,000 for projects such as improving football pitches, reconstructing bowling greens, upgrading changing rooms or resurfacing tennis courts.
Mr Llewellyn said, “The Scottish Government’s allocation of additional money for CPO-related projects… is welcome.
“The authority should engage immediately with partners to identify and prepare applications for suitable projects which can be considered and approved by members for submission to the government.”