Everyone can agree with the saying that if you do the crime, be prepared to do the time. The reality of it, however, is not everyone who enters the criminal justice system should or will serve time in jail. Jail and prison are both costly and, often times, too full. Judges need to have a wide of variety of sentencing options that take numerous factors and circumstances into consideration. Community service work is one option that provides a “win-win” outcome for the courts and the community at large.
Founded in 1985, Court Community Service (CCS) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to design and manage alternative sentencing programs that are responsive to the needs of the courts and the community while providing an efficient and cost-effective means to administer those programs. CCS receives more than 12,000 referrals each year from courts in Greater Cleveland including the Cleveland Municipal Court, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and suburban municipal courts, as well as other programs such as Cuyahoga County’s Felony Diversion program. Courts can sentence individuals to perform community service as a condition of probation (also known as community control), as an alternative to jail time or in lieu of fines and other financial sanctions.
CCS places individuals at hundreds of area charitable and governmental agencies such as hunger centers, thrift stores, community development organizations and neighborhood centers. Work varies from basic cleaning and maintenance, to cooking meals and serving meals, to clerical work and housing rehabilitation. Since CCS began, more than 200,000 CCS referrals have completed over 6 million hours of community service in the Greater Cleveland area. This translates into a savings to area agencies of more than $42 million.
CCS also places many individuals on their own supervised work crews that provide a wide variety of services throughout Cuyahoga County. CCS crews collect litter along public roadways, remove graffiti, plant community gardens and clean vacant lots. In addition, a long-time partnership with the City of Cleveland Department of Aging provides supervised work crews that mow lawns, rake leaves and shovel snow for low-income and disabled seniors homeowners. Since CCS was created in 1985, work crews have collected more than 650,000 bags of litter and over 335,000 tires throughout our community.
A partnership with the Cuyahoga County Landbank has proved to be another success. CCS work crews provide another resource for the Cuyahoga Land Bank to keep properties clean and maintained while they await rehabilitation, demolition or sale. It’s just another example of how community service sentencing is a “win-win” alternative that benefits our community and improves the quality of life for those who live, work and play in Greater Cleveland.