Alongside Probation, Community Service Orders (CSOs) remain the most commonly used community sentences. An offender given a community service order is required to carry out unpaid work of benefit to the community for between 80 and 240 hours in summary proceedings (i.e. where the Sheriff sits without a jury) and 300 hours in solemn proceedings (i.e. before a Sheriff and jury). The law restricts Community Service Orders to offences which would otherwise have resulted in imprisonment or detention.
While a CSO allows the offender to remain in the community it also requires them to carry out work designed to provide direct benefit to the community as a whole. This can range from an individual placement providing assistance to elderly or disabled people, to groupwork on outdoor environmental improvement projects. All work is intended to be challenging and demanding for the offender and is supervised within a framework of National Objectives and Standards. These standards require the offender to comply with various conditions in terms of both their personal conduct and work performance. Failure to comply with the conditions of a CSO can result in a breach of the order and the offender being returned to court. In such cases the court has the power to revoke an order and deal with the offender in any way which would have been appropriate to the original offence, including imposing a custodial sentence.
It is an important principle of the agreed National Standards that CSO work placements must not be used in situations which are likely to deprive others of paid employment.
Facts and Figures
Some facts and figures on Community Service Orders:
A total of 8,330 Community Service Orders were made in 2004-05. This represents an increase of 12 per cent from the 2003-04 total of 7,428.
The incidence of CSOs was 23.1 per 10,000 population in 2004-05. This rate was highest in Dundee City (37.7), Glasgow City (30.9) and Dumfries & Galloway (30.8), and lowest in East Dunbartonshire (8.9), Aberdeenshire (10.5) and East Renfrewshire (11.4).
Male offenders accounted for 88% of CS Orders and Probation Orders with a Requirement of Unpaid Work.
Females receiving orders (excluding Probation with Unpaid Work) tended to be older with 64% of orders relating to over 25 year olds.
Orders (including Probation Orders with a Requirement of Unpaid Work) were relatively more common amongst young offenders (84.2 orders per 10,000 population for 18-20 year olds and 60.3 orders per 10,000 population for 21-25 year olds).