You can be sentenced to between 40 and 300 hours of unpaid work as a requirement of your community order.

An unpaid work requirement is suitable for offenders aged 16 or over. You should not receive an unpaid work requirement if you have been convicted of a sexual or serious violent offence or you are receiving incapacity benefit. People with chaotic drug/drink problems or some mental illnesses may not be suitable.

We will make every effort to ensure that your work placement is suitable for you. However you will not be able to choose. Following an interview with the probation service we will allocate you a weekday or weekend placement.

There will not be a choice, but the order will not interfere with your employment, education or religious needs.

You will attend your first interview with us within five days of your sentencing and will start work within ten days.

You will work all day with a break for lunch and for a minimum of six hours each week. If you have committed a less serious crime you are likely to be supervised by someone from the organisation for whom you are working (the placement provider). If you have committed a more serious offence you will be supervised by an officer from the probation service.

Typical unpaid work projects include painting and decorating, gardening and landscaping and minor building maintenance. You will be provided with a regular schedule showing the hours that you have worked.

Diversity
We aim to ensure that women, black or ethnic minority offenders are not placed where they would be the only woman or black/ethnic minority offender in the work group.