TV show cast negative light over criminal scheme

A TV programme that criticised a community jobs scheme for convicts has been described as “fear-mongering” by a councillor using the initiative.
The ITV1 Tonight programme, screened on Thursday, said the Community Payback scheme was too easy on criminals.
It showed secretly filmed participants smoking cannabis, relaxing in the sunshine and complaining of little work.
Martyn Donn, Ramsey and Parkeston councillor and qualified Payback chaperone, is a major supporter of the initiative and was left angered by the negative programme.
“I had eight offenders over the Welfare Park on Wednesday, working like Trojans,” he said.
“Some of them don’t like it, but recognise that it’s a punishment. I never ask what they’ve done or why they were arrested, but a couple have actually told me that because of the scheme they will not offend again.
“I was annoyed at the program and the way they kept calling them criminals. Most of them have committed nothing more than motoring offences. People go on about jails being over crowded and they are giving back to the community.
“They have done some very important work in and around our area. Levelling the ground and clearing brambles.
“This tv programme was clearly just fear-mongering made to sell. It creates animosity towards the offender and puts people off using the scheme.
“It’s already worried about potential financial cut backs and this will not help its cause.”
Louise Casey, one of the architects of the scheme, turned objector, said: “Some of those people have committed serious offences, including violent offences, yet they're on a kind of a version of a holiday camp.
“I mean, it's a bit of a joke really. The punishment as it is at the moment isn't punishment.”

Writers note: The actual work I have seen conducted through this scheme has been incredibly beneficial to the community. Specifically in cases where small parish councils struggle to raise funds to satisfy public demands.
The Payback Scheme offers a cheap alternative to drawn out, expensive, district contracts and everyone involved has given the work glowing reviews.
Interestingly there have been no submitted reports of violence, or even dissidence, among the participants, with testimonials from the offenders themselves that the scheme was a personally rewarding experience.
On watching the ITV documentary on Thursday I felt compelled to write something as I thought it was lazy, biased and genuinely damaging journalism that threw a good scheme to the right-wing wolves.
If only I had a bigger platform than the Harwich and Manningtree Standard and a blog read by six people.