Recommendation 157

Furthermore, we heard that local delivery could also help achieve the punitive and reparative aims of sentencing. The Criminal Justice Alliance told us that “in Scotland there is legislative responsibility to consult specific people and organisations on the types of unpaid work activity that should be carried out in their area”. They recommended that “Probation should also develop more hyper-local partnerships by engaging with victims of crime and community groups to identify local needs”. They added that “greater involvement of the voluntary and community sector in unpaid work placements would also be beneficial”, pointing out that “many voluntary and community sector organisations employ staff with lived experience of the criminal justice system in roles where engagement and rapport building is important”. 290 The APPC also told us that “what has been seen to work well are the examples of visible community reparation, especially when the identification of suitable projects arise from the input of community safety partnerships or other locally based public opinion”. 291 Ongoing efforts towards more local delivery