Community Payback

What is Community Payback?

Community Payback is a punishment handed out by the courts. It’s demanding work, carried out by offenders in the community, for the community.

In London, over one million hours of Community Payback are completed every year by offenders.

This equates to approximately £5.7 million of free labour, based on the minimum wage, provided to local communities as offenders make up for the crimes they have committed.

Community Payback projects

Hackney residents can have their say about what kind of work offenders do in their community.

Examples of projects include:

litter removal
clearing dense undergrowth
environmental projects
repairing and redecorating community centres
removing graffiti.

Offenders usually work as part of a team, monitored by a supervisor, and will work all day with short breaks. Ocasionally there are some opportunities for individual placements.

Suggest a Community Payback project

You can suggest a Community Payback project that would help your community or improve your area. To be considered, your project must meet the following criteria:

The project must benefit the local community
It must not take paid work away from others
No one may make a profit from the work
The work must be challenging and demanding
The work must be be worthwhile and constructive
Offenders must be seen to be putting something back into the community.

Anyone can nominate a project, so if you have an idea, please suggest it to us using our online form. The Community Payback team will then assess the project for suitability and for health and safety implications.