The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world and it appears to have significantly altered the prison and subsequent rehabilitation system, at least in the UK. Criminals in the country are being allowed to work from home to complete their community sentences, according to a report in The Telegraph. Offenders completed more than 540,000 hours of community payback ordered by the courts by just clicking on web pages from the comfort of their homes or charity shops, as per Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data.
“The idea of serving a sentence from the comfort of home or a cosy charity shop feels out of step with justice and an insult to victims. Communities deserve to see meaningful work being done-work that visibly repairs harm and restores trust in the system,” said Matthew Brighty, a former Home Office economist who obtained the data through the Freedom of Information (FoI) request.
Community sentences are often ordered by courts for crimes such as theft, shoplifting, some assaults and criminal damage. Offenders are required to complete between 40 and 300 hours of unpaid work to the community in a year, depending on the severity of the crime.
The data revealed that of the six million hours of unpaid work ordered in 2023, 4.7 million hours, accounting for 78 per cent of the total was completed while the remainder was wiped off. However, of the completed hours, 542,215 hours or 12 per cent, were spent on online ETE (education, training and employment) courses and five per cent on work in charity shops.
The revelation comes at a time when Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has launched a sentencing review, owing to the prison overcrowding crisis. It is expected to recommend greater use of house arrest, curfews and community punishments as an alternative to jail.
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Prisoners earning more than prison officers
While criminals are having it easy in completing their community service, those inside the prison are earning more than the officers that guard them as well as secondary teachers, biochemists, psychotherapists and midwives.
A report published last month stated that the highest-paid inmate in the UK received a net pay of $46,005 (Rs 38,84,491) in 2023 while the average salary of a prison guard is $35,085 (Rs 29,62,446) with the fresh recruits being paid approximately $30,073 (Rs 25,39,252) per year.
Despite the deductions, the prisoners were ahead of midwives who had an average take-home pay of $45,889 (Rs 38,74,696) while biochemists ($45,844, Rs 38,74,274 ), psychotherapists ($45,864, Rs 38,72,585) and chartered surveyors ($43,908, Rs 37,07,428) also netted less than them.
