NCJ Number
43546
Journal
Research Bulletin Issue: 4 Dated: (1977) Pages: 16-21
Date Published
1977
Length
6 pages
Annotation
ISSUES IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE SENTENCES IN ENGLAND AND WALES ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
EXPERIMENTS WITH COMMUNITY SERVICE SENTENCES IN SIX AREAS HAVE BROUGHT TO LIGHT ISSUES RELATED TO THE CHOICE OF WORK FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE, THE CONCEPT OF THE SENTENCE, AND THE REVOCATION OR BREACH OF COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDERS. POSSIBLE CRITERIA ON WHICH THE CHOICE OF SUITABLE WORK MAY BE BASED INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: WORK THAT OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN; WORK THAT PROVIDES A REHABILITATIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR THE OFFENDER; WORK THAT NORMALLY WOULD BE UNDERTAKEN BY A VOLUNTEER; AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES; AND PERCEPTION OF NEED. THE EMPHASIS GIVEN TO EACH CRITERION HAS VARIED FROM COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY DURING THE EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD. THE NEED TO EXAMINE THE MEANS WHEREBY A TASK IS DEFINED AS APPROPRIATE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE IS POINTED OUT. A SECOND ISSUE INVOLVES DIFFERENCES IN PERCEPTION BETWEEN THOSE WHO VIEW THE COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDER AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO CUSTODIAL SENTENCES AND THOSE WHO VIEW THE ORDERS AS SENTENCES IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. EXPERIMENTAL USAGE IS SAID TO HAVE MADE CLEAR THAT THE COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDERS SHOULD BE USED AS TARIFF SENTENCES, ALTHOUGH CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICE SENTENCE TEND TO PERPETUATE CONFUSION. TWO QUALITIES OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDER -- CONTRACT AND EQUITY -- ARE REGARDED AS FUNDAMENTAL TO SUCCESS. THE CONTRACT, IN THE SOCIAL WORK SENSE, EXPLICITLY DEFINES AND LIMITS THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTICIPANTS, AND EQUITY ASSURES COMPARABILITY AMONG THE CONTRACTS OF DIFFERENT OFFENDERS. THE RELEVANCE OF CONTRACT AND EQUITY PRINCIPLES TO REVOCATION PRACTICES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDERS IS NOTED.