Community services
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Community service sentences allow offenders to repay society through supervised work, including group projects and tasks for external organizations, lasting up to 240 hours. This alternative to prison can be imposed for various offences, excluding serious violence or sexual crimes, and helps maintain offenders' community ties, thereby reducing the risk of re-offending. The probation service plays a key role in managing these sentences, which also facilitate the development of work routines and experience.
Community services
- 2. The Judge of Prosecutor can impose a community service sentence
- 3. By performing a community service an offender can pay back to society
- 4. There are two kinds of community services:
- 5. Working in group projects, whereby the offender is supervised by a work master from the Probation Service
- 6. Or working for an external organisation
- 7. In both cases the offender will work for the general benefit of society
- 8. For instance doing the dishes in a kitchen of a nursing home
- 9. Or working in a second hand shop
- 11. A community sentence lasts maximally 240 hours
- 12. The probation Service decides what work the offender should do
- 13. The offender is obliged to fullfill the work properly
- 14. If he doesn't, he can still go to prison
- 15. The community service can be imposed for many offences, but not for serious acts of violence or sexual offences
- 16. A major advantage is that community sentences prevent damage caused by prison detention (loss of home, relationship and job)
- 17. because the offender can still participate in the community
- 18. In addition offenders get used to work routine and gain work experience
- 19. This reduces the chance of re-offending considerably; much more than after a prison
- 20. This is how the Probation Service contributes to a safer society