Breaking out of offending
Staff reporter
People throughout South Lanarkshire are being helped to avoid offending and its consequences with a new Community Justice system that is operating in the area.
A revamp by the Scottish Government has seen local Community Justice Partnerships set up across the country.
And a national body, Community Justice Scotland has been established to provide leadership for the system as a whole and offer opportunities for innovation, learning and development.
Liam Purdie, chair of South Lanarkshire Community Justice Partnership, explained: “There are many factors that can lead people into offending and make it difficult for them to break away from that life, and these factors can vary hugely not only from person to person but from area to area.
“That is why it is a much more effective way of helping people if we bring together the different groups in each council area who are working to acknowledge and assist with these factors. It results in an approach locally that is suitable for the needs of the people and communities we are engaging with. We want all individuals to feel part of their communities, and for individuals and communities to be safe and good places to live.”
Community Justice deals with the situations people can face before and after the criminal justice process of arrest, trial and sentence – it concerns the issues facing potential offenders and exoffenders and aims to help prevent crimes occurring in the first place or reoccurring after a sentence has been served.
With this in mind, the Community Justice Partnership in South Lanarkshire brings together a wide variety of agencies, each with their own set of skills and knowledge, including the council’s Social Work Resources, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire & Rescue, Scottish Prison Service, NHS Lanarkshire, Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Victim Support, Skills Development Scotland and the organisation representing the local voluntary sector, VASLAN.
Mr Purdie added:“each member of the partnership is already involved in work that contributes to Community Justice Objectives in South Lanarkshire.”