21 Feb 2017
The percentage of community payback orders (CPOs) being completed has dropped once again according to Scottish Government statistics.
Only 67.6% of orders were completed in 2015/16, down from 68% the year before, and 70.3% in 2013/14.
It indicates a worrying trend of orders not being completed.
The Scottish Conservatives have called on an urgent review of the orders to ensure that criminals don’t start treating them with contempt.
It also follows reports last year that CPOs were being issued for more serious crimes such as rape and child sex offences.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Douglas Ross said:
“These figures show that a third of those being issued with Community Payback Orders aren’t even completing them.
“Victims and communities are rapidly losing faith in this system and you have to question what sort of punishment these orders are providing if there is such a high chance that those on CPOs will be allowed off the hook.
“There is a real chance that criminals start treating them with contempt, and we need to ensure that CPOs once again act as a proper punishment.
“When we’ve seen them being handed out for crimes as serious as rape, it is even more galling that so many are not being completed.
“Although there is a place in our justice system for community payback orders, we need to ensure that they are being properly administered, and are being issued for appropriate crimes.”
The Scottish Government figures are available here:
http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00514220.pdf
The figures regarding completion of orders are available in Table 2.
The Scottish Conservatives brought up the issue of CPOs being handed out for serious crimes in FMQs last September:
http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2016/09/demand-for-urgent-review-after-rapists-handed-community-punishments/
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