How Britain pioneered an alternative to prison

Check out this BBC Witness History story about the introduction of Community Service in the 1970s. The introductions says: In the 1970s the UK tried to reduce its growing prison population. An experimental new punishment was introduced for convicted criminals. It was called Community Service.The scheme was soon copied around the world.

Napo continues to argue for the full reunification of probation, including unpaid work and interventions. This article, which takes the form of an interview with John Harding, a former Chief Probation Officer, who was in charge of the introduction of Community Service in one of the first pilot schemes, demonstrates the positive, rehabilitative potential, of Unpaid Work if done well and with core probation values at its centre; and illustrates the potential of a publicly owned probation unpaid work operation as opposed to the currently proposed, marketised, model.

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