NCJ Number
77807
Date Published
1981
Length
41 pages
Annotation
This third report in a series dealing with community service orders (CSO) as a sentencing alternative in Ontario, Canada focuses on probationer perceptions of the CSO program 1 year after the completion of their assigned hours.
Abstract
The CSO as a sentencing alternative assigns offenders to work a certain number of hours in community service projects. This study involved a subsample of 207 CSO probationers, the majority of whom were male, single, about 22 years-old, and stable in the areas of education and employment. Most of the sample had been sentenced to the CSO for a single property offense. Data were collected using the Client Information Fact Sheet, the CSO Experience Form, the Follow-up Interview Schedule, and a Recidivism Data Coding Form. Although the majority of the sample reported that their CSO assignments had little practical application to their work or school, they viewed the CSO disposition as a positive experience, believing that the work performed was helpful to the community as a whole or the individuals served. Most offenders perceived the CSO sentence as 'fair' and reported that the CSO had proven to be a better experience than they had anticipated. When the subjects compared the CSO to three other sentencing alternatives, the CSO was preferred as the most beneficial alternative. The recidivism rate was also examined for the subsample for the 1-year period following CSO completion. About 12 percent of the sample had been reconvicted during the 1-year period. The majority of the recidivists received an additional probation term, while one-third of the recidivists were incarcerated. The follow-up interview form is appended, and supporting tabular data are provided. (Author abstract modified)