Community Service Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

The Community Service Program (CSP) was developed by the Miami-Dade County Public Works and Waste Management Department (PWWM) at the request of the State Attorney’s Office. The CSP supervises and monitors persons arrested and ordered to perform community service hours by the Courts as a condition of either their pre-trial intervention program, plea bargaining or Court-imposed sentence. In conjunction with numerous members of the State Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department, the County’s Advocate Program, Court Options, Florida Department of Corrections, and the Federal Department of Corrections, a reporting process and CSP program guidelines were developed. The program specifically targets public right-of-ways where any work performed will be achieved within clear view of the public. The CSP participants clean up illegally dumped trash piles, collect illegally disposed tires, pick up litter, or assist with graffiti removal. In December 2012, the PWWM began offering community service hours to those individuals referred from the aforementioned agencies. From January 2013 to December 2013, the CSP received 1,572 registered program participants. These participants provided 36,763 community service hours, benefiting both themselves and the residents of Miami-Dade County.