NCJ Number
106911
Date Published
1987
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the use of community service in the Federal Republic of Germany, where it is used primarily as an alternative to imprisonment for adult fine defaulters and as a sentencing option for juvenile courts.
Abstract
Community service is not statutorily mandated as an adult sentencing option in West Germany, largely due to resistance to the concept of work as a punishment. There is also some fear among unions that large-scale community service work will reduce the number of available jobs. Consequently, community service has limited use as an alternative to imprisonment for offenders who default on their fines. Such community work typically involves service in hospitals, conservation projects, parks, and playgrounds. The number of work hours assigned is in accordance with the amount of the fine defaulted. For juveniles, community service is a sanction in its own right, and it is frequently imposed. Community service as a sentencing option raises issues regarding the voluntariness of the offender's acceptance of the sentence and whether the work is intended to be punitive rehabilitative.