Community Service Orders

Programs that hold adult and youth offenders accountable for their crimes by having them spend a specified number of hours serving the community or crime victims through uncompensated work in lieu of a fine, restitution or jail. Community service orders (CSOs) may also be issued as a condition of probation by the court as a sanction, or it may be stipulated as a condition of diversion. Offenders can work for churches, hospitals, nursing homes, municipalities and other public and nonprofit organizations. CSOs are usually arranged and monitored through a corrections agency, but work assignments and supervision at the work site are normally the responsibility of a community organization such as a local volunteer centre or a public agency.