COMMUNITY JUSTICE COMES TO SHEFFIELD

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 18th May 2009

Nick Clegg talking to local residents in Broomhall

The National Liberal Democrat Leader and local MP Nick Clegg has helped Sheffield's local Lib Dem Council launch their new flagship anti-social behaviour and crime initiative. Nick and the Lib Dem Council Leader, Cllr Paul Scriven, were in Broomhall talking to local residents about how new 'Community Justice Panels' will help reduce crime and re-offending rates, give local people greater confidence in the justice system and see offenders pay back their local community.

Nick Clegg MP said "I'm delighted that Sheffield is going to lead the country in establishing Community Justice Panels to cut crime and give victims and communities a say in how offenders pay for their crimes. These panels will make a real difference, giving people in Sheffield the opportunity to improve safety and wellbeing in their part of the city."

"Community Justice Panels, which have been pioneered elsewhere in Britain by Liberal Democrats, cut reoffending and help turn young people who are getting into trouble away from a life of crime. By ensuring offenders make up for their crimes, by removing graffiti, repairing the criminal damage they caused or making amends to their victims, they will also help improve our communities as a whole and make Sheffield a safer, better place to live for all of us."

The idea for Community Justice Panels is simple. For small but serious crimes, such as broken windows, graffiti and vandalism, under the Lib Dems' scheme, victims and offenders are offered an alternative to the usual justice system. If the victim agrees, offenders can face their victims and their families, explain what they did and why, and apologise.

Members of the community, and the victims themselves then have the power to decide how the offender can make up for their crime, through visible community service such as repairing criminal damage or cleaning up graffiti. The police only need to get involved if the offender refuses to cooperate.

Cllr Paul Scriven, the Lib Dem Leader of Council, added: "The fact that 92% of young men on first-time short custodial sentences reoffend within two years is a shocking statistic. By making offenders come face to face with what they have done and then pay back the community, it has been proven that the victims are more satisfied with the outcome and there is less chance the offender will commit crime again."

"I believe that we can deliver Sheffield some of the benefits that have been seen elsewhere when using this approach. I'm delighted to be launching them today. I'm particularly pleased that we have the backing of both the Police and the local communities themselves."

Community Justice Panels have already seen success operating in Somerset. Sheffield will see them introduced into a major UK city for the first time. Initially they have been launched in two Safer Neighbourhood Areas. Then in a years time the panels will be rolled out across the rest of Sheffield.