I. Introduction to Community Service

Definition and History

For the purpose of this report, community service is defined as a condition the court imposes that requires an individual who has committed a crime to perform unpaid work for a government or nonprofit organization. This service may be provided as an addition or alternative to another sentence.

Reasons For Use

This section discusses the reasons for using community service in a criminal justice system. It provides support for factors regarding community service as an alternative punishment and establishes a foundation for the ways a community service scheme should be implemented.

Use in the Community

While community service is beneficial when used as an alternative to imprisonment, it is also very helpful when used outside of the realm of criminal justice. There are hundreds of community service organizations throughout the United States and around the world, all of which help volunteers provide for their communities. These programs are beneficial in similar ways to criminally sanctioned community service and use volunteers and positive attitudes to elevate community conditions.

Use In Prisons

When most people think about community service within the criminal justice system, they tend to think of it as an alternative to prison, typically as a condition of probation or parole. While such circumstances are the general method, community service also has a place within prisons.

Evaluation Research: Benefits and Risks

Community service has the ability to impact all those who are involved with or affected by a crime, both through its services and with its benefits. Research on community service has supported the benefits of community service, but there are also risks to acknowledge when applying community service within a criminal justice system. This section will discuss the impact community service has on the following: the offender, victim, community, government, and overall recidivism rates, as well as acknowledge the risks that should be taken into consideration when establishing and/or running a community service scheme.

Best Practices

While there are certain features of community service that particularly affect recidivism rates, there are other components that can be considered best practices. These practices impact the general effectiveness of the community service scheme.