NCJ Number
79746
Date Published
1981
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This paper reexamines the community service restitution programs operated by Prisoner and Community Together, Inc. (PACT) in four Indiana counties for young, first-time misdemeanor offenders, with attention to the criticism that most community service orders are really not alternatives to incarceration.
Abstract
A history of PACT in northern Indiana begins with its 1977 program in Michigan City which was developed at a judge's request to provide an alternative for young first offenders who otherwise would have been sentenced to prison. To insure this objective, offenders were sentenced to 6 hours of community work for each day of their initial jail sentence. By 1981, the program had expanded to other counties with LEAA and private foundation funding and had been evaluated favorably by three major institutions. A National Symposium on Restitution and Community Service Sentencing in 1980 showed that few existing community service programs were designed as actual alternatives to jail or prison, and only PACT and another project were cited as having achieved this goal. These findings prompted an internal evaluation of PACT's efforts through staff meetings and a review of case data. Issues raised by these discussions included the view that restitution programs may only widen the net of social control when not used as alternatives to incarceration and that such programs are actually a form of involuntary servitude. Benefits from community service programs were also identified, such as increased community involvement in the criminal justice system and instilling a greater sense of accountability in the offender. The evaluation task force decided to retain community service as a less costly, more humane, and more effective alternative to incarceration for nonviolent offenders. Strategies to insure proper use of the program in the future are outlined which emphasize continual evaluation, restructured eligibility criteria, and increased cooperation with criminal justice personnel. They also suggested that eligible offenders who are currently incarcerated be identified and released to community service. Information materials on PACT, copies of the previous evaluations, and statistics relating to the Porter County PACT are appended.