Community service is oftentimes ordered in the wake of a guilty conviction or as part of a plea agreement. Many individuals prefer the idea of community service compared to time in jail, and the theory is that community service is better for the community than wasting taxpayer dollars putting someone up in jail for a month. But is court-ordered community service actually an effective sentencing option? A recent study says it may not be all that it’s cracked up to be.
Court-Ordered Community Service
Researchers at the University of Georgia decided to take a closer look at the effectiveness of court-ordered community service as a form of punishment for a criminal conviction. More specifically, they interviewed 31 community organization managers and 34 court-ordered community service workers to see if these programs were likely to achieve their goals of restitution, cost savings and rehabilitation and what conditions support or undermine success.
Although some individuals perceived a benefit under the right conditions, the general consensus was that court-ordered community service typically fell short of its goals. Involved parties said that court-ordered community service oftentimes:
- Shifted costs and time-consuming efforts onto community organizations who are tasked with training, supervising and tracking participants.
- Led to barriers for individuals to complete their court-ordered community service, including transportation, the ability to get time off work or childcare issues. More than one participant reported losing their job because of their service requirements.
- Many individuals were assigned tasks like stocking or cleaning bathrooms, which they felt were punitive and not meaningful for themselves or the community.
However, researchers say that when community service works, it really works. In the right programs, individuals participating in court-ordered community service are more likely to return to the organization to volunteer or even earn paid employment with that organization. Other individuals felt inspired to volunteer or get more involved with their communities. Researchers say that community service programs could be redesigned to account for the previous mentioned obstacles (transportation, childcare, employment) and to provide more than just punitive tasks to ensure they are most effective for both the individual and the community at large.
“If we redesign these programs with an eye toward respect for people and how the experience can benefit both the individual and the community,” said Rebecca Nesbit, study lead author and a professor at UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs. “there’s real potential there.”
We’ve seen community service work well, and we’ve seen it be ineffective. It takes effort and a willingness to work with the individual performing the work, but when this effort is put in, everyone benefits. Hopefully more courts and community organizations rethink how to make these court-ordered service hours more effective for all involved.
For more information about potential sentencing options, or for help with a different criminal matter, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
