The Community Service Program (CPS) provides a variety of unique volunteer opportunities to low risk offenders from the court system. The program saves judicial time and resources, and helps to decrease the number of individuals who are chronically in violation of probation due to noncompliance with the court system.
With this program, convicted individuals are required to perform charitable services partly in lieu of other judicial remedies and penalties. Project Concern works with the court system and offenders on ordered sanctions regarding restitution, community service and treatment. The CSP manager meets with the offender, works together to match skills and community service projects and provides mentoring while the service hours and/or treatment requirements are being met. Through participation in this program, local jails are not overburdened with space and financial issues of low risk offenders and probation officers caseloads are not overburdened.
The philosophy behind alternative sentencing is to provide a more constructive way to punish offenders by providing services that benefit society. The Community Service Program also introduces the idea of ethical action into the values of the offender. Offenders are provided with the opportunity to explore possible careers, experience the non-profit world, and to gain experience and skills in a specific area or field. With every community service worker comes the explicit goal of improving the lives of the offenders to becoming law-abiding citizens. |