DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE - ITS APPLICATION AND RELEVANCE TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM (FROM ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FOR COPING WITH CRIME, 1978, BY NORMAN TUTT-SEE NCJ-53694)

• NCJ Number: 53702
• Author(s): J HARDING
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 22 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

THE USE AND ORGANIZATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDERS IN ENGLAND AND WALES ARE DISCUSSED, AS WELL AS REACTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM OF JUDGES, PERSONS IN THE COMMUNITY, AND OFFENDER PARTICIPANTS.

Abstract

THE COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDER, A PUNISHMENT OF THE COURT WHEREBY THE OFFENDER SURRENDERS LEISURE TIME TO PERFORM A SERVICE WITH A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, WAS INTRODUCED TO THE MAGISTRATES AND CROWN COURTS IN ENGLAND AND WALES UNDER THE 1972 CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT. OFFENDERS ON COMMUNITY SERVICE ARE SUPERVISED EITHER BY PROBATION STAFF OR BY MEMBERS OF THE WORK-PROVIDING AGENCY. A COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM OF PROBATION OFFICERS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR LOCATING TASKS IN THE COMMUNITY, MATCHING AND ALLOCATING OFFENDERS TO AGENCIES, ACTING AS LIAISON WITH THOSE AGENCIES AND THE OFFENDERS AND PROBATION OFFICERS, FOLLOWING UP UNRELIABLE WORKERS, AND INITIATING BREACH PROCEEDINGS IN THE COURTS WHEN NECESSARY. COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDERS WERE ESTABLISHED PARTLY AS A MEANS OF REDUCING PRISON OVERCROWDING AND AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO CUSTODIAL OR NONCUSTODIAL SENTENCES. OFFENDERS PLACED ON COMMUNITY SERVICE HAVE AN AVERAGE OF FOUR PREVIOUS OFFENSES AND A PREVIOUS CUSTODIAL SENTENCE. COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDERS ARE CHEAPER THAN CUSTODIAL CARE, ALLOW THE OFFENDER TO LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT DEPENDENTS THROUGH NORMAL WAGES, AVOID SOME OF THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF INCARCERATION SUCH AS LOSS OF STATUS AND RESPONSABILITY, AND OFFER OFFENDERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMMUNITY. PERSONS IN THE COMMUNITY AND JUDGES VIEWED COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDERS POSITIVELY, ALTHOUGH JUDGES EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO BE REGULARLY INFORMED OF THE PROGRESS OF PARTICIPANTS. PROBATION OFFICERS EXPRESSED SOME SCEPTICISM ABOUT THE PROGRAM'S PRACTICALITY, BUT ADMITTED THAT KEEPING THE OFFENDER IN THE COMMUNITY DOES ELIMINATE NEGATIVE INCARCERATION EFFECTS. A SURVEY OF OFFENDER PARTICIPANTS SHOWED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THIS GROUP PREFERED COMMUNITY SERVICE TO OTHER SENTENCES. SUPPORTING DATA ARE NOT INCLUDED. (DAG)