Does court-ordered community service work? : evidence from a case study / Rebecca Nesbit, Su Young Choi, Jody Clay-Warner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nesbit, Rebecca Ann, author.

Choi, Su Young, author.

Clay-Warner, Jody, 1968- author.

Contributor:

Public Management Research Association, related corporate body.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in public and nonprofit administration. 2515-4303

Cambridge elements. Elements in public and nonprofit administration, 2515-4303

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Community service (Punishment)--United States--Case studies.

Community service (Punishment).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (85 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Summary:

Based on interviews with 31 managers in community organisations and 34 court-ordered community service workers (CSWs) in Georgia, this book asks whether community service programs are likely to achieve their stated goals of restitution, cost savings, and rehabilitation and what conditions support or undermine success. While some individuals perceive a benefit, these programs often shift costs to under-resourced non-profits, impose administrative burdens, and fail to foster meaningful community connection or long-term rehabilitative outcomes. The book indicates that cost savings are illusory, restitution is weakened by supervision demands, and rehabilitation is inconsistent across participants. For community service to realise its restorative potential, it must be restructured across the criminal legal system with attention to organisational capacity, both of probation offices and the community organisations working with CSWs.

Notes:

At foot of title: PMRA.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781009308786

Access Restriction:

Open access. Unrestricted online access