Punishment in the Community (Hansard, 23 June 1988)

§ Mr. John Patten

We are introducing national standards for community service orders which will ensure that the orders are rigorous and demanding. The standards will deal with the type of work to be done by offenders, the way hours worked are reckoned, standards of performance and behaviour and the action to be taken if an offender fails to comply with the requirements of the order. We propose that some of the requirements should be embodied in statutory rules made under the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973.

We are also exploring with the probation service the scope for more intensive supervision of some offenders subject to probation orders. As part of this we are encouraging an expansion in the number of day centres run by the probation service. Offenders can he required to attend day centres under the terms of a probation order, and to undergo a programme of activities and education with the primary aim of making them face the consequences of their offending behaviour, both for themselves and for their victims. We have made available new money to approve four new projects in 1988–89 and we have asked the probation service to put forward proposals for other new projects in later years.

At the same time we have been putting the case for developing new disposals which would exercise more control over offenders in the community as well as punishing them for the harm they have done. This would build on the existing work of the probation service and extend it where necessary. We hope to publish proposals on this before long.