What Works in Community Service?

Citation

McIvor G (2002) What Works in Community Service?. Criminal Justice Social Work Briefing Paper, 6. http://www.cjsw.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Briefing%20Paper%206_final.pdf

Abstract
First paragraph: In recent years our understanding of ‘what works?' in reducing recidivism among offenders has gradually grown (e,g, McGuire, 1995) and there has also been a greater understanding of how that knowledge base can be applied in the supervision of offenders in the community (Chapman and Hough, 1998). Most of the discussion about effective practice has focused upon interventions with offenders who are subject to probation orders or post-release licences, with recent research extending that understanding by focusing upon what offenders value about supervision. As Rex's study of desistance among probationers (Rex, 1999) and recent studies of probationers and parolees in Scotland (McIvor and Barry, 1998, 2000) have shown, offenders appear genuinely to value the supervision that they receive, especially if it embodies the concepts of pro-social modelling and legitimacy. These same concepts are useful for understanding why community service might be effective in reducing re-offending and for providing pointers as to how the effectiveness of community service might be further enhanced.