What is community justice?
About Community Justice
Community justice is principally about organisations working together to ensure that people who have offended address the underlying causes of their behaviour and pay back to the community where appropriate. It aims to encourage rehabilitation, reduce reoffending, and protect the public, leading to fewer victims and safer communities. This requires a strong partnership working approach at each point of the justice system, from the point of arrest, through to integration into the community. Public protection remains the first priority, with robust risk management systems in place to ensure that, where appropriate, those who have committed offences can be managed safely and effectively in the community. In the long term, the ambition is to use prison only for those who pose a risk of serious harm.
Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016
This Act provides the legislative framework for the model of community justice in Scotland. The Act sets out the statutory responsibilities for community justice partners. At a local authority level, the Act requires;
- The statutory partners and third sector bodies involved at community justice at a local level
- The preparation and publication of a plan in relation to community justice for the local authority area
- The publication of a community justice participation statement detailing how it engaged with 'such bodies' in preparation of the plan
- Review of the local community justice plan at key points
- Publication of reports on performance in relation to community justice outcomes
National Strategy for Community Justice
The revised National Strategy for Community Justice, published in 2022, sets the national direction for community justice by building on progress made to date. It is designed to provide a clear roadmap for future improvement work, by highlighting key areas for partners to focus on. The national strategy has four national aims and thirteen priority actions. Both the national strategy and national aims and priority actions can be accessed in the panel to the right.
Community Justice Performance Framework
The Community Justice Performance Framework (CJPF) sets out nationally determined outcomes which are to be achieved in each local authority area. Community justice partnerships should use the nationally determined outcomes and national indicators in the CJPF to support their local planning and reporting cycles. The CJPF is made up of two components:
- 9 nationally determined outcomes which are to be achieved in the area of each local authority
- 10 national indicators which are to be used to measure performance in achieving the outcomes
Community Justice Scotland
Community Justice Scotland (CJS) is a Non-Departmental Public Body founded in 2016 following the passing of the Community Justice (Scotland) Act. CJS plays a central role in the continual improvement of Scotland’s justice system by providing leadership, support, advice and training.
CJS have several resources for people who are interested in both the justice system and community justice. More information is available on their website but we would suggest considering:
- Navigating Scotland's justice system
- Understanding community justice
- Community Interventions and Support Directory
Community Interventions and Support Directory
Many organisations across Scotland – including statutory and third sector – deliver a wide range of support relating to community justice. These organisations support communities and provide a vital resource in tackling the underlying causes of crime. Whether accessed individually, or alongside an appropriate community intervention, this support can help reduce re-offending. To access the Inverclyde directory please follow the link on the right and select the local authority as 'Inverclyde'.