One of the first people to receive Immediate Justice (IJ) in a new programme to tackle antisocial behaviour has said the experience has helped him turn his life around.
The man, who is in his mid-20s was referred into the scheme after committing a drunk and disorderly offence and was referred swiftly to undertake reparative activities in order to ‘pay back to the community’ for harm caused.
The reparation work took place at Jubilee Park in Carlton in late January and included clearing up litter, removal of graffiti and tidying the park to create a nicer environment for those visiting.
It comes after the Immediate Justice project, which is being led by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire, launched in early January which aims to ensure people who commit antisocial behaviour or low-level offences are made to clean up local streets or take part in other positive community activities – within days of their offence.
After completing the scheme, the man spoke on how the positive payback work has made him want to ‘kickstart’ the search for a new job and turn his life around.
The Immediate Justice Supervisor who oversaw the group recalled how the man engaged positively with the work and said the Immediate Justice Programme had given him a better outlook.
“The Immediate Justice Programme was a way for the man to kickstart his job search again as he felt that it gave him a positive feeling and outlook that he had been missing,” said Jason (RSMS IJ Supervisor).
“Overall, he worked hard throughout the day and we had some very positive discussions around his life decisions and outlook moving forward, he said thank you at the end of the session.”
Another person who took part in the scheme, a woman who completed work at Jubilee Park in Carlton in early February said how she could see the benefit of doing it for herself and the local community and did not want to get in trouble again.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry is set to give an update on the Immediate Justice scheme to the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel at County Hall today (Monday 18 March). She said she was delighted to hear of the man’s positive experience of the Immediate Justice scheme.
“This innovative project can work in changing mentalities towards committing low level crime and gives those people who go through the service a chance to change their ways for the better, whilst giving back to the community,” said Commissioner Henry.
“We want to encourage people to choose to take part in Immediate Justice and as we hear from this person’s experience, it is truly a positive alternative.”
The project is showing communities in a very visible way that antisocial behaviour is being treated seriously and with urgency, whilst also acting as a deterrent to others.
It is only available to eligible first-time or low-level offenders and gives them an alternative to going to court or paying fines – by spending a set amount of time repairing the harm they have caused to communities.
Persistent offenders will still be dealt with through robust criminal justice outcomes.
A spokesperson for Red Snapper Managed Services said they were delighted to be a part of the Immediate Justice scheme.
“Our team of experienced and highly trained staff is doing an amazing job. The feedback we have received from individuals referred into the scheme has been really positive and we look forward to providing more valuable reparative work to the Nottingham community.”
The project follows the award of funds from the Home Office to tackle antisocial behaviour and is set to run until the end of March 2025.
To ensure swift action is taken in response to the antisocial behaviour, Immediate Justice placements are to be completed within 48 hours of the Police completing the referral to the service.
Offenders who are referred to the scheme will be supervised by criminal justice Interventions service provider Red Snapper Managed Services Ltd, as they go out to carry out work in neighbourhoods across the city and county.
Chief Superintendent Sukesh Verma, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I’m delighted the Immediate Justice initiative is already having a positive impact in our communities in changing behaviour and attitudes as well as improving local facilities.
“This example highlights the positive benefits of the programme, as opposed to processing through the traditional criminal justice methods.
“We know that antisocial behaviour has a significant impact on local residents and businesses. We will continue to work tirelessly with our partner agencies, as well as listening to concerns raised by local businesses and residents, to tackle any incidents robustly, take a preventative approach, and keep our communities safe.”
To report antisocial behaviour call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or contact your local council.
Watch the video linked below to see the scheme in action.
Immediate Justice Launch (youtube.com)
Posted on Monday 18th March 2024