What is Community Payback?
What is Community Payback?
Courts can impose sentences of 40 to 300 hours of Unpaid Work. The delivery of an Unpaid Work requirement is known as Community Payback.
On 26 June 2021 the Probation Service assumed responsibility for the delivery of Community Payback, replacing Community Rehabilitation Companies.
Project examples:
• Removing graffiti
• Clearing wasteland
• Improving public spaces
• Tree planting
• Litter picking
The five core Community Payback principles
Public involvement
The community should have the ability to nominate work projects that are identified
locally.
Rehabilitation
Through the development of work-ready skills such as: good timekeeping, working cooperatively, vocational or skills-based on-the-job training.
Paid work
Community Payback should not directly replace paid employment but may add value to the work undertaken by public bodies and voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.
Credible punishment
Community Payback is primarily a punishment that sees reparation made to communities.
Public safety
The safety of the public, staff and people on probation is paramount.
How to apply
You can nominate a Community Payback project to suggest what unpaid work is carried out by offenders in your local area. This could be removing graffiti, clearing wasteland, decorating a community centre or any other similar project that benefits the local community. Projects must not take paid work away from others or make a profit for anyone.
If you have a project you’d like to be considered for Community Payback to complete, please email CP_@justice.gov.uk. Please include the following details in your email:
- the name of the project or organisation
- where the work would take place
- a short description of the work to be done
- your contact details
