In an effort to reduce the pressure on local authorities during coronavirus the unpaid work element of most community payback orders will be reduced by 35% through new regulations.
As court business is heading towards near normality (compared with pre-covid) and the capacity of local authorities to deliver unpaid work remained constrained analysis had shown that there would have been over one million hours outstanding by July 2021 if no action was taken.
The Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf, stated that:
“This proportionate measure will help address the unavoidable build-up of unpaid work resulting from essential public health restrictions, while ensuring that those on community orders still serve the majority of their sentences.”