Making things right: Meaningful community service for juvenile offenders. Douglas Thomas and Mary Hunninen. (2008). Technical Assistance to the Juvenile Court Bulletin. National Center for Juvenile Justice. [EN]

Community service is a common strategy used by juvenile courts and probation departments as part of their strategies for dealing with juvenile offenders. The quality of the community service experience can range from punitive to redemptive. The position taken in this Special Projects Bulletin is the community service is an important and valuable tool and that meaningful community service can go a long way toward increasing offender accountability, restoring victims, re-connecting youth and community, and making things right again. The Bulletin defines and describes community service, makes a distinction between voluntary community service and mandated community service, and addresses the effectiveness of community service. Community service efforts in three jurisdictions are highlighted – Clark County, Washington, Deschutes County, OR and Lehigh County, PA. Each of the jurisdictions providese insights into understanding meaningful community service and provide tips for designing and implementing meaningful community service projects. (excerpt)

The link address is: http://nicic.gov/Library/024566