ABSTRACT

Introduced in Scotland as pilot projects in 1977 (1973 in England and Wales), Community Service (CS) has since come to occupy a central place in the evolving landscape of community penalties across many jurisdictions. For example, in Scotland in 2007/08, the number of convictions resulting in a CS order was just over 5,600 (approximately one-third of all community sentences). Further, the offence categories with the highest proportion of convictions resulting in a CS order were serious assault, attempted murder, handling an offensive weapon, fraud and fire-raising (Scottish Government 2009: para 8.8). Such statistics attest to the credibility of CS within the Scottish justice system, while also highlighting the considerable demands made of it.