Community work sentences help Community Gardens
| Golden Bay’s Community Gardens have undergone a
serious spruce-up recently. The work has been undertaken on
Saturdays by a labour force of about nine people provided by the
Department of Corrections under the community work programme.
The programme is for people who have been convicted of offences
at the less serious end of the scale. People sentenced to
community work must complete a certain number of hours,
depending on factors such as the severity of their offences.
Sentences range from 40 hours to 400 hours.
“If you get under 200 hours’ community work you have one year
to complete your sentence,” explained Department of Corrections
senior supervisor, Michelle Marnane. “Over 200 you get two
years. That can mean a lot of Saturdays at eight hours a
Saturday.
“The department must provide offenders with the opportunity
to work off their sentence. That’s one of the reasons why I’m so
pleased with the Community Gardens project in Golden Bay. We can
adopt a work-party approach, which is efficient, and there’s
plenty to do. Also it’s good that the offenders are working out
their sentences in the community where they committed the
offences. It’s so much better than another of our options—making
people get over to Motueka, where I’m based, every Saturday
morning to knock off another eight hours.” |
 |
|
Supervisor Piripi Rawiri stands
next to a pile of firewood split and stacked by people on
community work sentences.
The firewood will be sold and the proceeds used at the Community
Gardens.
Photo: Neil Wilson. |
Michelle said that community work had previously been done in the Bay
for a number of organisations and places, such as Milnthorpe Park, the
SPCA, Riding for Development and the Rockville Museum.
Offenders often worked individually for these organisations, making
supervision more difficult. “It’s not easy to match the supply of
suitable offenders with opportunities to work and appropriate
supervision. We’re lucky to have the services of Piripi Rawiri in the
Bay.” said Michelle. “He treats the offenders with respect and he works
alongside them. He understands that there’s no need for yelling at
everybody or anything like that.”
Piripi explained that the work party is expected to work from 8am-4pm
every Saturday. Non-attendance is checked on and repeated non-attendance
can lead to a reappearance in court and an additional sentence.
The department provides tea and coffee and something hearty for
lunch. “We’re expecting these guys to do a full day of manual labour,”
said Piripi. “It can’t be done on an empty stomach.”
Members of the work party spoke to The GB Weekly last Saturday and
said that they appreciated the fact that their labour was helping to
enhance an asset that belonged to the whole community. They also
preferred the chance to work co-operatively. Turning up every Saturday
was difficult, especially when they all had full-time jobs, they said.
“It’s an extra day for no pay,” said one.
“Remember, these guys aren’t choosing to be here; they’re made to be
here,” explained Michelle. “It’s a consequence of choices they’ve made,
things they’ve done. My aim is that they knock off their hours and never
come back.”
Neil Wilson
Golden Bay Weekly ~ News ~ 3 August 2007
