Community Service
This is a form of alternative sentencing where the courts allow those who have committed minor offenses to serve out their jail time doing community service. This is a special condition imposed by the courts that requires a defendant to work without pay for a civic or nonprofit group in the community.
This type of creative sentencing has many benefits to the defendant as well as for the community. It frees up the jails for people who committed more serious and violent crimes. The community benefits from it as well. For the offender it’s a way of contributing to society in a positive manner and avoiding jail time while keeping his or her job and living at home. It is also an established fact that jail is not the answer when it comes to people who commit small offenses. These types of alternative sentencing also tend to have a positive effect on the offender thereby decreasing recidivism.
Community service sentences have become more and more creative over the years. For example, if the defendant has a specific skill such as plumbing, carpentry or electrical work that local service organizations can immensely benefit from. The type of community service ordered by the judge may also have a direct relationship to the type of crime committed by the defendant.
For example, if someone was convicted of vandalism or tagging, they may be ordered to repaint walls that are covered with graffiti. Or if they were involved in being cruel or insensitive to animals, they may be asked to clean an animal shelter. Or they may be ordered to do Caltrans work or simply help local nonprofits such as Red Cross, Salvation Army, YMCA, the local soup kitchen, homeless shelter or other groups that constantly need volunteers to help out with operations.
Community service hours are usually applied to the amount of time that the defendant would have otherwise spent sitting in a county jail. However, not all offenders will be eligible for community service. If you have committed a violent crime or have been a repeat offender or have a tendency to get disruptive, you will not be allowed in the program. Similarly, anyone who ditches work or doesn’t show up at a specified time will be expelled from the program.
If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime, call us to schedule a free consultation and examine your options. You don’t have to go to jail and may be eligible to receive an alternative sentencing such as community service that will keep you out of jail, serve as a positive experience and help you keep your job and continue providing for your family.
