NCJ Number
77076
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 24 Issue: 3 Dated: (1980) Pages: 234-240
Date Published
1980
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The present status of community service programs for offenders in England and Wales is discussed.
Abstract
Community service is an alternative sentence in which offenders carry out tasks in the community, usually on weekends, for a particular number of hours. In 1978, 19,400 offenders were offered and accepted this sentence. About two-thirds were under 25 years of age, nearly half were convicted of theft or handling stolen goods, a quarter of offenses were for burglary, and between 5 and 10 percent of offenses involved violence against persons. Of the sentences terminated in 1978, about 75 percent were completed satisfactorily, about 10 percent were terminated because of a failure to comply with the requirements of the court order, and about 10 percent were ended because of convictions for further offenses. Since the inception of community service in 1974, courts, probation officers, voluntary agencies, and offenders have seen it as essentially positive and constructive. Although the probation service manages the service programs, management structures vary locally. Probation officers often view community service supervision as something apart from their normal work since this sentence includes aspects of social work and penal measures independent of probation. In some areas, community service supervisors carry out much of the actual supervision and are themselves supervised by the probation officers. The service supervisors are specially trained and often manage most of the service programs themselves. Other areas use voluntary agencies for the direct supervision of clients or accept the help of sessional supervisors, weekend volunteers with useful practical experience. The future possibility of a supervisory service independent of probation officer management is considered. A three-item reference list is included.