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.
Some of the components are as follows:
i. The service should be linked proportionately to the amount of harm caused by the crime and should meet a clear and defined need that is obvious to offenders.
ii. The most effective community service programs maximize the benefits for both the community and the offender, while taking into consideration the maximum visible impact on the quality of life in the community. This includes providing the service to groups and institutions within the offenders own community, which allows the victims/community to see that the offender is paying for the offense while also giving the offender a sense of accomplishment and closure.
iii. Incorporating restorative justice values help to create a more valuable and productive atmosphere for all involved. (See section III)
iv. The program should provide an atmosphere that views offenders as resources rather than criminals, focusing on the offenders’ strengths, capacity for responsibility and capacity to choose rather than their weaknesses. Such a positive focus allows offenders to establish new identities that do not involve a need or desire to commit crimes.
v. Providing services to the disadvantaged has been shown to be effective in compelling offenders to provide higher quality work and demonstrate higher levels of commitment, while providing assistance to other offenders allows a “giving back” to the system.
vi. The best progress and most potential for change is made by offenders who do worthwhile tasks, have a choice in what occurs during their participation, and who have a good relationship with their supervisors.
vii. Allowing offenders to publicly profess their errors and openly repent their violations through community service grants them an important step in rehabilitation and reintegration.
viii. As discussed in the Evaluation Research section, the features discussed by Andrew et al (“pro-social modeling,” “firm but fair” use of authority, etc) as well as the other factors listed help establish more effective community service programs.