NCJ Number
142151
Date Published
Unknown
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The Scottish Community Service by Offenders Act 1978 enabled courts to require offenders who have been convicted of offenses that would carry sentences of imprisonment to perform between 40 and 240 hours of unpaid community service. In team placements, the offenders perform practical tasks for individual members of the community who would be unable to do so for themselves or to hire others to perform those tasks. Offenders assigned to agency placements are engaged in voluntary work for non-profit organizations including day care facilities or residential homes for the elderly.
Abstract
A study conducted in 1987-1988 examined offenders' experiences in community service work. According to the results, offenders found the work satisfactory and believed the experience would improve their later chances of finding employment. There was an association between the offenders' experiences and predictions of their own recidivism. In 1991, police reconviction data for 134 of the 136 original study subjects were traced; by the end of the first year, 40.3 percent had been reconvicted and by the end of the fourth year, 66.4 percent had been reconvicted. Variables associated with recidivism seemed to be age, previous convictions, employment history, offending-related supervision, and previous custodial experience. Offenders who had regarded their community service experience as having been particularly worthwhile were less likely to be reconvicted and were reconvicted on a lower number of occasions than other offenders in the sample. Offenders who worked in placements which were characterized by a high level of impact with the recipient were less likely to be reconvicted. Finally, offenders who were experiencing personal problems while completing their community service were more likely to reoffend. 6 tables and 15 references