Community Service

Community Service orders

 

The object of Community Service orders is to provide unpaid work which is of value to the community as an alternative to custody. They are carried out within the National Standards and Objectives framework for Criminal Justice Services.  This framework places clear expectations upon local authorities and those performing community service.

 

Community Service by offenders provides an important, long established, community based alternative to imprisonment.


Work placements
Enforcement of community service orders
Contact details

 

Community service orders are orders of court where:

  • an offender is required to perform unpaid, useful work for the benefit of the community
  • the court can order between 80 - 300 hours of community service which must be carried out at such times as directed by the supervising community service officer

 

Orders must be completed within one year from the date of sentence and are performed in an offender’s free time:

  • community service placement are undertaken Monday - Friday
  • for people who work or study full-time, placements are available at weekends and evenings
  • a maximum of 21 hours can be performed each week over three days

 

Approximately 1,000 orders are made in Glasgow each year. Glasgow City Council is responsible to court for organising placements and establishing supervisory arrangements. Community service orders are supervised by social work staff located in community service teams.

 

Work Placements

 

No work placements are accepted which would jeopardise opportunities for paid employment for members of the public. At the beginning of an order, all offenders must attend an induction training course. This is a three hour programme covering essential information on:

  • the conditions of community service orders
  • standards of behaviour
  • expected work performance
  • attendance
  • disciplinary procedures
  • health and safety

After an assessment by the supervising community service officer, which will take account of previous convictions and personal circumstances, a work placement is identified. Offenders can bring special skills and talents and every effort is made to use these to benefit both the local community and the offender.

There are two types of work placements available:

  • team placements
  • personal placements

 

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Team placements

 

The work is undertaken in small community service work teams (four or five people maximum) under the supervision of a community service work supervisor. There are a range of team placements:

Community service teams work in three main locations:

  • clients’ homes
  • community centres
  • churches

 

Personal placements

 

This work is undertaken on an individual basis with the offender being supervised by a nominated manager who reports progress and compliance to the supervising community service officer. There is a wide range of personal placements available within non-profit making agencies, for example:

  • voluntary agencies
  • charity shops
  • churches
  • community groups

For more information on personal placements see agency placements.


Enforcement of community service orders

 

All community service orders are enforced rigorously in accordance with National Standards. If the terms and conditions of the order are breached (broken), the order will be taken back to court where the court can:

  • allow the order to continue and impose a fine
  • add extra hours to the order
  • revoke (cancel) the order and impose any penalty that was available in the first instance, for example, the sentence for the original offence(s)

If the order is revoked and an alternative sentence imposed, this is often imprisonment.

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Contact details

 

For information about city-wide Criminal Justice services and related Web sites, see our useful links page.

For information on how to comment or complain on the service you receive see Your Views

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