Emma Wakefield Politics Show South East

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Offenders will work in their own community

People across the South East will be able to suggest projects for offenders to complete as part of their unpaid work orders made by the courts.

The new Community Payback Scheme will be launched by the Probation Service as an attempt to make unpaid work both more relevant and more visible to the public and to ensure that offenders carry out work in their own communities.

At the same time the Probation Service itself needs to build its own brand over the next 24 months as the Home Office rolls out "Contestability".

This will enable outside agencies to bid to provide any or all of the services offered by Probation, including offender management.

We ask whether this is privatisation by the back door.

... Also on the programme

Community champions?

Six young people in Brighton are being trained to be advisers on local decisions affecting them.

They will be paid �8.00 an hour to advise organisations and committees the best way to involve young people, how to consider their needs when taking planning decisions and to act as champions for young people in their community.

The pilot scheme is being funded by John Prescott's Office of the Deputy Prime Minister but is this the best way to finance new initiatives for young people?

Politics Show South East

Politics Show South East is live from the studio in Tunbridge Wells.

Join Paul Siegert on Politics Show on Sunday 27 November 2005 at Noon on BBC One.

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