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Crime File: Restitution and Community Service

NCJ Number
104210
Date Published
1986
Length
0 pages
Annotation
While not a new concept, the development of new methods for restitution is providing sentencing alternatives to fines, probation, or imprisonment.
Abstract
A restitution and community work service program in Quincy, Mass., is described. Such programs act as a means for reducing prison overcrowding and heavy probation caseloads while permitting offenders to repay their debt to victims and the community. Such programs are recommended not only for first-time offenders, but also as a part of probation for more serious offenders following their release from prison. They are not recommended for violent offenders. Additional discussion considers the desirability and feasibility of such programs on wide scale.