Community Service Order

Community Service Order (CSO) is one of the non-custodial sentencing options utilised by the Courts. This option is granted mostly to non-violent offenders who are required to do between 40 and 360 hours of unpaid community work and, possibly, up to 480 hours, if given consecutive or concurrent sentences. The programme facilitates workshops for stakeholders and clients.Some work projects that the clients can be involved in include:

• Maintenance of public buildings
• Landscaping of public spaces
• Repairs of school furniture
• Tiling and plumbing
• Painting of murals on public buildings.

Community Service Order is beneficial, in that it provides a holistic approach to rehabilitation, which is most effective in reducing reoffending and cutting cost in some areas of Government’s expenditure.

Feedback from Agency -Victoria Town All Age School

Odel Scott has completed his 40 hours of community service here at the school. He is to be commended, as he performed excellently the tasks to which he was assigned. Mr. Scott worked on his own initiative and went beyond his assigned duties. It was a pleasure to work with him.

CSO Orderee:

My Community Service Order (CSO) experience was a very good and rewarding one. I got along well with the members of staff of the agency. While carrying out my community service, a representative from a prominent resorts chain visited the agency and was impressed with my attitude and work. I was then offered an interview and subsequently gained employment with the organization. This has been a significant milestone in my life.

The CSO has helped me a lot by testing my character and ability. It has allowed me to give back to my old school. This order has helped me to be a better person for the future.

Combination Order Orderee

I was given a Combination Order of one-year supervision and 40 hours of tasks due to some unruly and disruptive behaviour which I got myself into.. I was placed by my Probation Officer at a resource centre to complete my 40 hours of community service. During the time I worked eight hours per day and enjoyed every second of it. The staff there was kind and understanding. They showed me how to do things kindly and their actions towards me were excellent. We all worked well together.