NCJ Number
99615
Date Published
1984
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This summary report provides statistics on community service orders in New Zealand between 1981 and 1983 and highlights of a survey of 42 probation officers, 65 community sponsors, 68 offenders, and 11 judges regarding implementation of the community service sentence.
Abstract
Figures on 1,534 people, approximately half of all those who received a community service sentence during the first 21 months of its use, show that most were young and had committed property or traffic offenses. The average sentence was 89 hours. While most individuals involved in community service orders had positive attitudes, the survey identified several problem areas. For example, many offenders did not appear to be in a position to give a well-informed consent to the community service sentence. A common problem for sponsors was poor attendance, while finding it hard to put in hours was the most common difficulty for offenders. About three-quarters of all placements made with the sponsors interviewed had either been completed successfully or were still in progress at the time of the survey. Probation officers suggested improvements in the area of administration, sponsors wanted better liaison with placement officials and clearer instructions, and offenders wanted more variety in jobs, especially skilled, meaningful, and educational work. A study of offenders sentenced to community service compared to those given nonresidential periodic detention concluded that for people with the same likelihood of re-offending prior to sentencing, there is unlikely to be any difference in reconviction rates following community service as opposed to periodic detention.