COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDER PROGRAM - THE BRITISH COLUMBIA EXPERIENCE - V 1 - BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION OF INITIAL CASES

• NCJ Number: 45953
• Author(s): A D KIRKALDY
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 124 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: British Columbia Dept of the Attorney-General
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

THE PROGRAM, IN WHICH THE COURT ISSUES AN ORDER FOR THE OFFENDER (JUVENILE OR ADULT) TO PERFORM A SET NUMBER OF HOURS OF SERVICE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO A SHORT PRISON TERM, IS DESCRIBED.

Abstract

THIS CANADIAN COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDER PROGRAM IS BASED ON A SIMILAR PROGRAM, THE BRITISH COMMUNITY WORK SERVICE PROGRAM, WHICH HAS BEEN OPERATING SUCCESSFULLY SINCE 1972. THE BRITISH COLUMBIA PROGRAM WAS SET UP IN 1975 AND BY THE END OF MAY 1976 HAD ADMITTED 1459 OFFENDERS. THE LENGTH OF THE SERVICE ORDER IS A MAXIMUM OF 200 HOURS WITHIN A 6-MONTH PERIOD FOR ADULTS, AND 100 HOURS IN A 3-MONTH PERIOD FOR JUVENILES. AFTER THE FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION TWO MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS WERE MADE. THE FIRST, ALREADY IMPLEMENTED, WAS TO FORMALLY EXPAND THE PROGRAM FROM VANCOUVER TO THE ENTIRE PROVINCE. THE SECOND, NOT YET IMPLEMENTED, HAS BEEN TO CHANGE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL LEGISLATION TO ENABLE COMMUNITY SERVICE TO EXIST AS A SEPARATE DISPOSITION UNDER THE CRIMINAL CODE AND THE JUVENILE DELINQUENTS ACTS. THIS REPORT INCLUDES A STATISTICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRST 1,459 ADMISSONS. A SECOND VOLUME, TO BE ISSUED LATER, WILL SUMMARIZE THE 3,000 CASES ADMITTED JUNE 1976 TO JUNE 1977. GENERALLY, JUVENILE CASES ACCOUNT FOR 55.7 PERCENT; 88 PERCENT ARE MALE; NATIVE INDIANS ACCOUNT FOR 9.0 PERCENT. THE MOST COMMON OFFENSES ARE 'THEFT UNDER $200' AND 'BREAK AND ENTER.' ABOUT ONE-THIRD ARE ADMITTED BY PROBATION OFFICER ENQUIRY, THE OTHERS BY A COURT STANDARD PROBATION ORDER. ALMOST ALL THE PARTICIPANTS ARE ASSIGNED WORK FOR THE COMMUNITY RATHER THAN FOR THE VICTIM. HALF OF THE ORDERS ARE FOR WORK IN A COMMUNITY OR SERVICE AGENCY, 36.1 PERCENT ARE FOR COMMUNITY RECREATION FACILITIES AND PARK DEVELOPMENT, 4 PERCENT WORK FOR THE VICTIM ON JOBS NOT RELATED TO THE OFFENSE, 1.4 PERCENT REPAIR DAMAGE RELATED TO THE OFFENSE. COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER GROUPS SUPERVISE 66 PERCENT OF THE WORK ORDERS. ALMOST ALL (93.3 PERCENT) OF THE WORK ORDERS ARE COMPLETED. THE PROGRAM HAS RECEIVED POSITIVE COMMENTS FROM COURT AND PROBATION OFFICIALS. THE REPORT ALSO ANALYZES PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ACCORDING TO REGION OF THE PROVINCE; THE VANCOUVER ISLAND REGION ACCOUNTS FOR 46 PERCENT. IT IS NOTED THAT THE PROGRAM IS TOO NEW FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS TO BE MEASURED.