Back on the right track: Offenders help out at Super League Triathlon

Tuesday 03 October 2017

Offenders doing community service were part of the volunteer team that helped set up for the Super League Triathlon.

Working to give back to the island, a team of up to 15 Probation Service 'clients' helped put up the barriers and lay the tracks that UK medallist Jonny Brownlee and 24 other Olympians would race down just hours later.

Having secured a solid “reputation for doing things right”, Assistant Chief Probation Officer Mike Cutland said that the service was actually approached to provide volunteers.

Michael D'Hulst, Co-Founder of Super League Triathlon, told Express: “When Super League chooses its venue, it also chooses the community, and from our first visit to Jersey we knew it was a great match. The community spirit of such a small Island surpassed our expectations and Super League Triathlon was not only delivered by passionate professionals, but by an engaged group of volunteers.

"Young triathletes, fans and individuals on the Community Service Orders were amongst the many people that brought the Super League Triathlon to life. Two of our brand pillars are focused on being Aspirational and Experiential in everything we do. We have an ambition to engage with the community as much as we can and make it an unrivalled sporting event that inspires everyone involved.”

Those offenders also made a positive contribution to this weekend’s Jersey Marathon, having helped prepare goodie bags for the runners.Pictured: Probation Service clients also helped out at the Jersey Marathon this weekend.

Community service orders are given in Court as an alternative to prison, which the Probation Service use to help rehabilitate offenders and allow them to make recompense for their crimes. Placements are chosen by a specialist team and often involve working in charity shops, Jersey Zoo and churches, with hours varying to suit the beneficiaries.

But Mr Cutland said that these recent sporty efforts came as part of a bid to find more innovative ways to engage lawbreakers in the local community. 

“We have a very varied portfolio because we want to help the community first and foremost, but we want interesting projects so that our clients don’t get bored and can maintain motivation, and they need to think they’re doing something positive as well… We’re always on the lookout for new projects,” he commented.

Pictured: Community service helps offenders put as much as 25,000 hours of help per year into the island, instead of going to prison. 

Some of that inventive work has included maintaining football, cricket and rugby pitches, as well as projects alongside the National Trust and Department for the Environment.

Mr Cutland added: “We do 25,000 hours a year for community service, so if you multiply that by the minimum wage, that’s a colossal amount that the department is putting back into the community, so we’re really pleased about that.”