Policy, Planning & Development Officer, Community Justice
Welcome back to those of you who are familiar with Community Justice Glasgow’s Annual Reporter and to those who are coming to it for the first time.
We are pleased to bring you the Community Justice Glasgow Annual Reporter for 2020-2021. This is the 4th in our series of newspaper style Annual Reports and 2nd of our digital only offering.
In previous editions, there has been a common thread running through the articles and features:
- 2017-18 – What is Community Justice & Why we promote it – ‘Raising Awareness & increasing knowledge and understanding of Community Justice’ – explaining what community justice is and means for Glasgow.
- 2018-19 – How we Do It – highlighting the contribution from 3rd (voluntary) and Public Sector partners and communities themselves in reducing, and sustaining reductions, in re-offending in Glasgow; and
- 2019-20 – Who – a focus on the people that come into contact with the Justice System, a deep dive into what drives offending behaviour and the evidence around a Community Justice approach to reducing re-offending.
For this edition (2020-21) we will bring you:
- progress updates on some of the initiatives/services that were presented in previous editions;
- tell you about some new pieces of work/services;
- tell you about some of the innovation that came about as a result of the Covid19 Pandemic; and
- provide some reflection on the growth and strength of the partnership since the introduction of the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 – a journey that saw Community Justice in Glasgow in a strong position to overcome the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities brought about by Covid 19 restrictions and lockdowns.
Most of the content of previous reports is still as relevant today as when they were published and form part of a series that will provide readers with a detailed insight into the world of Community Justice in Glasgow.
2020-2021 was certainly a year like no other. For the Community Justice Team and Partnership, it brought much trepidation, challenges and opportunities. Across the Justice arena we work to provide efficient and effective services to people in Glasgow who have some of the most complex needs and are some of the most disadvantaged in our City – with higher rates of homelessness, addictions, poorer mental and physical health etc. than the general population.
As I’m sure you will appreciate, the Covid19 Pandemic brought many challenges to an already stretched Justice System. On the Community Justice doorstep, the biggest challenges that faced the Partnership included:
- the closure on and off of the Prison estate to visitors and support services;
- the ceasing of face to face Community Payback Unpaid Work (for squad placements particularly);
- the closure of services that form part of the package of support for those who come into contact with the Justice System in Glasgow; and
- the knowledge that some of those being supported and provided service are some of the most vulnerable in our City.
The Partnership around Community Justice had to quickly adapt, flex and innovate – finding new ways to reach people, to continue to deliver services where possible – to find alternatives where we could not – the wheels of Community Justice simply had to keep turning, and they did.
This led me to reflect on the journey towards the strong partnership that is Community Justice Glasgow today. A strength of partnership that was the key to overcoming the challenges and taking advantage of the opportunities brought about by Covid19. This has left us in a stronger position to take forward the learning, carrying them way beyond the Covid-related restrictions, and continuing to drive forward new ways of working where appropriate and where it has shown to be successful.
Throughout the Report you will see many articles that highlight some of those opportunities that were taken and challenges that were met and overcome. I believe some of the most challenging times are still to come, the restrictions and their consequences have left a backlog of Court Cases that the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee estimated could take up to 10 years to clear, an estimated backlog of unfulfilled hours (approx. 700,000 at July 2020) – resulting from the suspension of face to face Community Payback Unpaid Work Programmes, and an increase in court business and new Community Payback Orders since the Summer of 2020 (as restrictions began to ease).
I have in one role or another, been part of Community Justice in Glasgow since around 2008 and have seen first-hand the strengthening of partnership that has come about since the introduction of the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016. The strengthened links that come from sitting strategically within, rather than outside of, the City Council, as part of Glasgow Community Planning Partnership’s Community Empowerment Service (see figure 1 below), has for me been very tangible, bringing partners more firmly around Community Justice both at a at a strategic level as well as the ‘mini partnerships’ and relationships that have evolved around each of the priorities for Community Justice.
Figure 1
Partnership, working collaboratively across services, working as colleagues outwith our organisational constraints, has shown itself, more poignantly over 2020-21 than ever before, to have been the key to bringing about the necessary change, quickly and flexibly, to ensure that the system in Glasgow did not get overwhelmed. We have much work to, but I am confident that we have the key tool to get there – a strong partnership.
As always we appreciate feedback as it helps guide our way forward so please tell us what you think either by getting in touch with us or by completing our one minute online survey.
We hope that you enjoy your read.
