A proposal which would see minor criminal offences punished through supervised community service rather than jail time has been submitted to Government by an American expert.

Andrew Emory, director of Community Service Enforcement in New Jersey, has written to Premier Alex Scott offering to establish the scheme in Bermuda. Speaking to last week, Mr. Emory said that his programme is currently saving the public purse over a half a million dollars a year by slashing the number of criminals incarcerated as well as providing a ?productive and progressive? alternative for the justice system.

Under Mr. Emory?s proposals, people convicted of a range of lesser offences including, among others, vandalism, petty theft and minor fraud would be put to work on supervised community related projects from cleaning up beaches, building handicap ramps and scrubbing graffiti off walls.

The New Jersey Community Service Programme was initiated in 1982 by Mr. Emory.

A judge may now sentence non-violent offenders to perform unpaid community services in lieu of incarceration ? after evaluating the offender?s criminal history and the severity of the crime.

The sentencing judge sets the number of hours to be worked and the time in which the project must be accomplished.

?This programme has been enormously successful here in New Jersey and we have had a large amount of feedback from politicians and public officials at all levels who consider this an intelligent, progressive and effective scheme,? Mr. Emory said.

?This is not a programme for people deemed by the courts to be a danger to society or an habitual criminal. But it does provide an alternative to simply locking up people who have committed only minor offences. We have an enormous number of community projects going on in New Jersey at the moment and I can tell you the system does work very well.?

Mr. Emory formerly worked in insurance but now has over 25 years of experience as a Community Service Enforcement officer.

News of the programme?s success has spread far and wide in the US and he is currently working with authorities in many other states across America to train new programme directors.

The Government of St. Lucia has also sought his services and a Community Enforcement Programme has been functioning on the island for a number of years.

Mr. Emory is a regular visitor to Bermuda and it was during a dinner conversation with a group of ?prominent Bermudians? that the prospect of him coming to work on the Island was first brought up.

Contact with Government officials and the Department of Public Prosecutions was first made in 2002 ? although he claims that progress was halted following last year?s General Election and Premier Jennifer Smith?s ouster as PLP leader.

?What I am proposing is that I come down to Bermuda and set up the scheme for a 30 day trial period,? he said.

?If it is not to the Government?s liking then no harm done, I?ll leave. But I have to say that I have done this many times in other jurisdictions and not once has it been rejected. The use of sentenced labour as opposed to incarceration for minor offenders has a impressive track record of success and I believe would work extremely effectively in your country.?

Pressed on how such a scheme could be properly policed, Mr. Emory responded that he would start small, specifically targeting a ?troubled parish? and putting a small group of minor offenders to work on ?a whole host of community related tasks?.

A group of no more than three volunteers per project is required, he claimed, and it would be his task to train them to become fully qualified community enforcement officers.

Meanwhile, Premier Scott told on Friday that he had placed the matter before the relevant ministries for ?proper consideration? and would be responding by letter to Mr. Emory in the near future.