The Community Service Work Program (CSWP) provides an alternative to incarceration while assisting offenders in developing job skills and increasing their responsibilities as members of their community. The CSWP participant performs work that does not compete with jobs regularly performed by paid employees, but tasks that simply would not be done without volunteer assistance. Participants are assigned to work at area non-profit organizations. The CSWP refers Circuit and District Court felons and misdemeanants, to community work projects as an alternative to incarceration and/or as a condition of probation.

Friend of the Court payors who are not in compliance with child support payments are also referred to CSWP. This allows Judges to provide a sanction for non-compliance short of sending the person to jail.

OCC utilizes over 60 non-profit agencies in the Kalamazoo County area for placement and supervision of community service. CSWP staff work closely with the agencies to ensure the defendants are performing the community service. Monthly reports are provided to the Courts and probation staff listing the hours a defendant worked during the month.

In 2006, a total of 298 enrollments performed 6,266 hours of community service.

Target Population and Eligibility Criteria:

Convicted felons and misdemeanants, ordered to perform community service as a part of their sentence. Probation violators who are not compliant, in lieu of jail.