Home Secretary John Reid today announced that all communities in England and Wales will have the opportunity to get something back from offenders who have committed crimes in their area.Growing up in America (and particularly in the American South), I'm quite used to seeing offenders doing useful work - giving back to the community. Oftentime they did work of a similar nature (if not side-by-side) that "non-custodial" volunteers from the community were doing, too. Meaning that the work itself isn't stigmatised (e.g. litter picking, beautification projects).
The "Mayors' Community Payback Scheme 2007" would provide a platform for mayors to choose a worthy project in their area that would benefit the community. The project can be nominated by the mayor or be initiated through suggestions from the public, media or local community groups. The successful project would be announced at the mayoral installation in May.
Community Payback-visible unpaid work by offenders-was launched in July 2005 in six pilot areas, and in late November/early December 2005 across the rest of the country. The aim of Community Payback is to give the community an opportunity to see the unpaid work carried out by offenders and to give them a chance to decide what projects they work on.
My British husband was less used to the idea and I remember visiting an outdoor "folk museum" in Mississippi that was being maintained by prisoners. He thought they were just part of a chain gang "living exhibit" - until he saw that there was a real guard with a real gun.
I don't expect that the Home Secretary's version will run quite the same way. I do think it's a stroke of brilliance getting Mayors to select the project. The vast majority of mayors still hold honorific positions, but spend a lot of time and hard work on promoting their area and worthy causes within it. It also creates a sense of accountability and community that the project might not otherwise have.
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