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Community Justice Scotland has launched a national campaign aimed at changing perceptions of what justice should look like.

The national agency is responsible for reducing reoffending in Scotland, where we currently have one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe.

Short sentences in prison are not only less effective at reducing reoffending than sentences in the community, but can have additional negative effects including homelessness, unemployment and family separation.

The campaign will feature a series of short documentary films and a touring audio exhibition, telling the authentic and raw stories of success and failure, change and transformation, obstacles and helping hands.

It paints a warts-and-all picture of what works and what doesn’t.

Karyn McCluskey, Chief Executive of Community Justice Scotland, said: “We deserve a smart justice system driven by the best evidence of what reduces offending, repairs harm and improves the lives of everyone.”

The campaign aims to increase awareness of community justice and grow public support for a smart justice system that is evidence-based, innovative and focused on solving people’s problems in the most effective way.

The people sharing their stories include someone from a background of crime; who has made a one-off mistake; who has been a victim of crime; who has battled with addiction and mental health issues; as well as showcasing unpaid work projects which have restored pride to their community.

Community justice aims to repair harm, address offending behavior and support reintegration back into the community.

Pay back often comprises of unpaid work and underlying issues connected to the crime are addressed through appropriate support – for example, drug and alcohol counseling or mental health treatment.

Malky, who features in the documentary and video above, explains how community service was finally able to help him, where prison failed.

He says: “Everybody deserves a second chance. No-one wakes up and decides to be a criminal.”

He fell into crime aged 16 after his parents split up, his family life came apart and he turned to drugs.

“I didn’t have any guidance. When other people were going to college or work, me and a friend of mine were drinking, selling drugs and partying like we were rock stars without being able to play an instrument.

“Community service was harder than prison. Prison was quite easy to be honest, just having that structure.”

He adds: “I deserved to go to prison for what I did. But I lost everybody. And, that’s when I ended up suicidal. That’s when I turned my life around.”

Today Malky manages a project helping other people with drug and alcohol issues but says of his former life: “I’m a million miles away from that person and I’m quite happy with that – and I don’t intend to go back.”

• The first three films in the Second Chancers film series, are available to watch at http://secondchancers.tv/stories/