Meet the offenders cleaning canals in the West Midlands as an alternative to prison

Britain's prisons are overflowing. The Guardian has gained rare access to one alternative being tested in the West Midlands, where, instead of serving custodial sentences, convicted offenders carry out community payback work—improving waterways and green spaces around Smethwick. It's a small part of a larger community payback scheme that logged an estimated five million hours of work across England and Wales over the last year.

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