Offenders turning their lives around with community payback projects

Offenders carrying out unpaid work are turning their lives around and helping communities – according to new findings.

The annual CPO (community payback order) report for 2021-22 showed almost 3,500 hours of unpaid work carried out across the isles.

Projects included painting and maintenance, garden work and beach cleaning.

Shetland Community Bike Project also provided placements for people to carry out unpaid work.

One CPO user previously felt isolated and feared he would always be judged by his past.

“I did not see any way of integrating myself back in to the world,” he said. “I felt lost, I felt alone.”

Chief social work officer Denise Morgan said: “Shetland prides itself on running an unpaid work scheme that benefits people who’ve broken the law as well as communities.”

“The majority of work undertaken in the community enables people to follow a project through to conclusion. This enables them to learn new skills, work in a structured manner and start to take pride in the work that they do.”