Head teacher and PC talk about way forward
sentencing option that reduces offending, reduces the number of victims and improves lives.
Powerful first-person testimonies and films shine a spotlight on the Scottish Justice system and highlight that sentences served in the community have been shown to be more effective.
Scotland currently has one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe yet it is recognised that short sentences in prison are less effective at reducing reoffending than sentences in the served in the community.
And jail terms can have additional negative effects including homelessness, unemployment and family separation.
Community justice aims to repair harm, address offending behaviour and support reintegration back into the community.
“There is hope,” says Nancy. “Children want better, families want better and the aspirations are there. Everyone wants better for their bairns than they had for themselves and by working together, hopefully, we can do that.”
The campaign features people touched by the justice system as well as a range of professionals all working to prevent offending behaviour and tackle the underlying causes of crime in order to make our
This includes a GP, Sheriff, Social Worker and Custody Nurse, as well as Police Constable Kerrigan, who has served nine years with Police Scotland and is currently stationed in Kirkintilloch.
Sentences served in the community are almost twice as effective as short prison sentences in reducing reoffending and PC Kerrigan is proud that Scotland is looking at new ways to tackle crime and rehabilitation.
“Success for us isn’t putting the baddies in jail, it has to be much wider than that,” says PC Kerrigan.
“Success in my eyes is finding the root cause of crime and working with partner agencies to find the root cause of that.
“If I stop being hopeful for the future then I hand back my warrant card because, if you stop being hopeful in any job, what’s the point?”
He talks about the behind-thescenes work he does to strengthen ties in his community. see them arresting people, they see television documentaries on
Netflix, they see videos on Facebook,” he says.
“Nobody sees me walking a beat. No one sees me going into the schools and talking to the primary pupils about keeping safe on the roads, about stranger danger.”
He continues: “I can’t talk about the times that I go to a sudden death to help out the family, or the times that I talk somebody down off a ledge.”
Karyn McCluskey, Chief Executive of Community Justice Scotland said: “Scotland has so many dedicated and compassionate people working in health, housing, education and justice who understand how they contribute to making our communities better for everyone.
“We need to identify and scale-up the excellent work that is happening so that every citizen has the support they need, when they need it.”