The Scottish Government has announced that significant funding from criminal assets has been reinvested to community programmes.
Criminal assets, recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act, have so far helped more than £130 million to be reinvested into supporting young people, with a further £20 million to be allocated to 29 organisations in the sixth round of the CashBack for Communities programme.
The funding aims to help young people who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system, as well as communities that are impacted by crime. Programmes benefitting from the investment include GMAC Film, which supports young people into film-making careers, the Venture Trust, and Aberlour Child Care Trust with the latter two helping people with employment and other opportunities.
Keith Brown, Justice Secretary, said:
“To provide the best chances for their future, we should nurture all young people to fulfil their potential – through interventions which help reduce the risk of offending and that encourage positive behaviour.
“For the past 15 years, CashBack has helped millions of young people across Scotland to find better futures and reach their full potential and we know from first-hand experience the transformational impact the programme has had on young people’s lives.
“This phase of CashBack received more than 150 applications – the most ever – and our latest round of funding takes total investment in the programme to more than £130 million. This fund underlies our commitment to support young people to live full, healthy lives and help address some off the underlying causes of crime.”
The sixth phase of the funding will run from the 1st April 2023 until the 31st March 2026, with other organisations that are set to benefit including Action for Children, the Scottish Football Association, Youth Scotland, and The National Autistic Society.
