Push for community service over jail time to save €17m

MORE petty criminals will be asked to sweep the streets, clean up graffiti or help people in need under planned new laws compelling judges to consider community service instead of jail for minor offences.

The Cabinet yesterday signed off on the laws making it mandatory for judges to consider Community Service Orders (CSOs) where sentences of up to six months would usually apply.

The measure, which will have to be voted through the Dáil, could keep thousands of offenders out of the prison system and Justice Minister Dermot Ahern believes it could save the Exchequer €17 million.

“We should, as a society, have alternatives to imprisonment,” said Mr Ahern, who admitted the measure was mainly aimed at dealing with overcrowding in prisons, and would mostly apply to traffic offences.

Under the current system, it is up to the judges whether to hand out community services for relatively small crimes such as traffic offences, vandalism or non-payment of fines.

But Mr Ahern said many judges are opting to send people to prisons.

“Only 28 courts in the state relate to about 80% of the community service orders. So only a relatively small number of judges use them as an alternative at the moment.

“We are not interfering with the independence of judges but we are now requiring judges to consider them. So I think we will see a greater use of them,” the minister added.

The Probation Service received 1,667 community service orders last year and Mr Ahern said it could cope with a three-fold increase in numbers – or well over 5,000 offenders.

Last year, 5,750 people received sentences of less than three months, up 63% on the previous year, and a further 1,905 received sentences of between three and six months, up almost 30%.

“At the moment about 7,500 crimes that are committed lead to imprisonment of up to six months and 70% of all the people in jails are in prison for up to six months. So if you take even 10% of that 7,500 are put into community service, that will be a saving of somewhere in the region of €17m.”

He believes the orders also benefit offenders by allowing them to maintain ties with families, friends and community and continue in education or employment.

Communities throughout the country would also benefit from unpaid work carried out by those serving community service orders.