COMMUNITY SERVICE - CONCEPT AND PRACTICE, PARTS 1 AND 2

• NCJ Number: 58320
• Journal: Justice of the Peace Volume: 142 Issue: 38, 39 Dated: (SEPTEMBER 23, 30, 1978) Pages: 559-561,571-572
• Author(s): G A READ
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: Justice of the Peace, Ltd
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS TWO-PART ARTICLE EXPLORES THE NATURE AND PHILOSOPHY OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO IMPRISONMENT AND AS A CONCEPT THAT ENCOMPASSES PUNISHMENT, REHABILITATION, AND RESTITUTION.

Abstract

COMMUNITY SERVICE SHOULD BE PERCEIVED AS A WORTHWHILE ACTIVITY BY OFFENDERS, BE VIEWED AS HAVING SOME VALUE BY THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH OFFENDERS WORK, GIVE OFFENDERS A SENSE OF IDENTITY AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PURPOSE OF WHAT THEY ARE DOING, AND OFFER SOME SENSE OF CONTINUITY TO PERSONS PERFORMING COMMUNITY SERVICE TASKS AND PROVIDE OFFENDERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE VOLUNTARILY AFTER TASKS ARE COMPLETED. ONE RESEARCHER ARGUES THAT THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE LIES IN THE FACT THAT PUNISHMENT AND TREATMENT ARE EMPHASIZED IN A POSITIVE WAY. ANOTHER RESEARCHER IDENTIFIES TWO FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY SERVICE: CONTRACT IN THE SOCIAL WORK SENSE THAT EXPLICITLY DEFINES AND LIMITS OBLIGATIONS OF PARTICIPATIONS, AND EQUITY, ASSURING COMPARABILITY BETWEEN CONTRACTS OF DIFFERENT OFFENDERS. COMMUNITY SERVICE, IN GOING BEYOND ISSUES OF PUNISHMENT AND TREATMENT, IS ABLE TO ESTABLISH THE IMPORTANCE OF A TASK-FOCUSED APPROACH TO ALTERING OFFENDER BEHAVIOR WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF PROBATION AND AFTERCARE SERVICES. THE DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER COMMUNITY SERVICE CONSTITUTES PUNISHMENT OR TREATMENT, OR A MIXTURE OF BOTH, HAS CONSIDERABLE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE QUALITY OF SCHEMES THAT ARE ESTABLISHED. CONTRACT, EQUITY, AND QUALITY ISSUES AFFECT THE STRUCTURE OF SCHEMES AND THE DEPLOYMENT OF STAFF RESOURCES. THREE CONCLUSIONS ARE REACHED: (1) PUNISHMENT-TREATMENT DIFFERENCES NEED TO BE RECOGNIZED, AND ONE STEP IN THIS DIRECTION WOULD BE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO IMPRISONMENT, (2) INDIVIDUALIZATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE PLACEMENTS ACHIEVES THE BEST OUTCOME IN TERMS OF PUNISHMENT AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE SELF-CONCEPTS OF OFFENDERS, AND (3) COMMUNITY SERVICE IS A DISTINCTIVE ASPECT OF PROBATION WORK. FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)