Criminals help with community service

Criminals who carry out community service work are helping the Island as well as themselves.

That's according to the Department of Home Affairs, which says community service orders are continuing to play a key part in the criminal justice system.

In recent months, offenders have helped to clear greenways, tidy up campsites and clear beauty spots after the heavy snow.

The orders are imposed by the courts as an alternative to a prison sentence and the work is carried out in their own time for free.

Minister Juan Watterson says different approaches to punishment have to be explored: