Repay WA was launched in April 2004 as an initiative of the Department of Corrective Services and is linked to the abolition of sentences of six months or less, which came into effect on 15 May 2004.
Under Repay WA the State Government has significantly expanded its community work order program by boosting the number of low-risk and first-time offenders working to benefit the community. In addition there are more opportunities for community organisations to be involved, by hosting Repay WA community work projects.
Graffiti Removal Program
In support of the Repay WA initiative, the Office of Crime Prevention provided financial support to purchase a dedicated vehicle to establish a specific graffiti removal program.
The graffiti removal program supervises and transports offenders around the metropolitan area to remove graffiti vandalism from state government assets, including Western Power, Water Corporation and Main Roads WA assets, as part of their community service.
Work undertaken by offenders as part of Repay WA’s graffiti removal program does not replace work normally undertaken by paid employees under a commercial arrangement for graffiti removal.
Facts from the Department of Corrective Services
- "Community work projects can help provide valuable labour for under-resourced community organisations"
- "Repay WA support means community organisations may have the capacity to complete more projects"
- "Repay WA projects contribute more than 250,000 hours of community work each year"
- "Repay WA's graffiti removal program works on more than 900 sites each year"
- "More than 5,000 offenders are subject to community work orders annually, with 20% being women"
- "Fine defaulters comprise 40% of orders"
- "The average cost of keeping an adult offender in custody in WA is about 10 times more than supervising an offender in the community"
- "At any one time, more than 1,800 community work projects operate in WA, including about 450 in the metropolitan area and bout 1,400 in regional areas"
Further Information
More information about Repay WA, including brochures and a project application form, can be obtained from:
This page was last updated October 2009
Print
