Transparency data

Unpaid Work Management Information - Summary

Published 31 October 2024

Applies to England and Wales

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1. Introduction

Unpaid work, also known as community payback (or colloquially as community service), is one of the options available to sentencers at court. The purpose of unpaid work is to provide punishment and reparation, with individuals carrying out work on projects which benefit their local communities.

This summary presents the main findings on the delivery of unpaid work from 1 April 2022 to 30 June 2024. The latest quarter of data (April 2024 to June 2024) is compared against the matching period of the previous year (April 2023 to June 2023). By analysing the same quarter across both years, the key points and comparisons are not impacted by the seasonal nature of unpaid work delivery.

2. Individuals with unpaid work

• In the quarter to June 2024, 12,380 individuals were sentenced to unpaid work, an increase of 5.8 percent from 11,700 in the same period in 2023.
• In the quarter to June 2024, there were 12,485 individuals with unpaid work terminating, representing a decrease of 2.3 percent from 12,785 in the same period in the previous year.
• Of the 12 reported regions across England and Wales, ten regions saw an increase in the number of individuals sentenced to unpaid work compared to the same period in 2023.

Figure 1: Individuals with unpaid work sentenced and individuals with unpaid work terminating, by quarter end June 2022, June 2023 and June 2024, England and Wales. (Source: Unpaid Work Management Information Data Tables; Table 1 and Table 5)

3. Hours of unpaid work

The main purpose of unpaid work is to provide punishment and reparation, with individuals carrying out work on projects which benefit their local communities. Individuals can be sentenced to undertake between 40 hours and 300 hours of unpaid work which should be completed in 12 months from sentencing.

• 1,570,945 hours of unpaid work were sentenced in the quarter to June 2024, an increase of 5.7 percent from 1,486,030 in the same period in 2023.
• In the quarter to June 2024, 2,031,835 hours of unpaid work were offered, representing a decrease of 2.9 percent from 2,091,760 hours of unpaid work offered over the same period in the previous year.
• 1,151,835 hours of unpaid work were credited in the quarter to June 2024, a decrease of 2.0 percent from 1,175,645 hours of unpaid work credited in the same period in 2023.

Figure 2: Unpaid Work hours sentenced, hours offered and hours credited, yearly comparison by quarter end June 2022, June 2023 and June 2024, England and Wales. (Source: Unpaid Work Management Information Data Tables; Table 4, Table 10 and Table 11)

4. Further insights

• 381,070 sessions of unpaid work were offered between 1 April 2024 and 30 June 2024, with 243,170 sessions being completed. Both of these figures represent increases on the 356,015 sessions offered and 216,140 sessions completed between 1 April 2023 and 30 June 2023.
• At quarter end, June 2024, there were a total of 36,135 individuals with active unpaid work, a decrease from 42,015 at the end of June 2023.
• Of the 12 reported regions across England and Wales, ten regions saw a decrease in the number of individuals with active unpaid work at the end of the quarter compared to the same period in 2023.

5. Project Clean Streets

Through Rapid Deployment Projects – Project Clean Streets, Probation Community Payback teams work in partnership with local authorities to rapidly clean up instances of antisocial behaviour. The work includes clearance of fly tipping sites, litter picking and graffiti removal within 48 hours of notification.
Since its launch in 2023, the Rapid Deployment Project has been rolled out in eight probation regions, with the remaining four regions expected to commence across the remainder of 2024.

• 500 individuals attended a Project Clean Streets session in the quarter to June 2024, delivering 9,790 hours of unpaid work.

6. Further Information

As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:

• Unpaid Work Management Information Release – Guidance
• Unpaid Work Management Information Release – Data Tables
• Unpaid Work Management Information Release – Project Clean Streets Data Tables

Enquiries about these management information should be directed to:

E Stradling
HMPPS Performance Unit
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
Email: CrossCuttingPerformanceEnquiries@justice.gov.uk