Court Ordered Community Service

In this type of alternative sentence, a judge orders a criminal offender to perform work on behalf of the community in exchange for a complete or partial reduction of fines and/or incarceration. Court ordered community service often accompanies some other form of alternative sentence such as suspended sentences, probation, fines, deferred adjudication or pretrial diversion.

The theory behind court ordered community service is that mandating minor offenders to perform community service offers more benefit to society than incarceration of those offenders. The community benefits from the work that the offender performs and avoids the cost of incarceration while the offender benefits from a lesser sentence and, it is hoped, is rehabilitated, educated and enriched through the work they perform.

Court ordered community service is often, but not always, related to the type of offense that they were charged with. For example, a person convicted of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) may have to give speeches to schoolchildren about the dangers of drunk driving.

A judge may sometimes allow an offender to choose the type of community service they wish to do. If this is the case, a government or independent agency must verify that the offender completed the community service. Otherwise, a judge will order a specific type of service that is verified through the organization where the offender performs the work.

Each state has specific rules and procedures for court ordered community service, so be sure to check on the law in your area.