Community Service Program

Formation of Program

The Bucks County Adult Probation and Parole Department's Community Service Program was developed and approved by the Court of Common Pleas, Bucks County, on November 14, 1986.

Purpose

Community Service by it's nature can be viewed as symbolic restitution (as opposed to financial restitution) or the belief that the entire community, rather than a single individual, suffers from crime and that some recompense is needed. While the hope is that there will be victim and community compensation through Community Service work, the goal is to increase the offender's sense of responsibility to himself and society.

How the Program Works

Once the offender is sentenced to Community Service by the Court, the defendant is instructed by the staff of the Bucks County Adult Probation and Parole Department (BCAPD) (see Waiver of Liability (PDF)) as to the rules and regulations of completing his/her Community Service obligation. The offender will review a list of Community Service Providers based on location and hours of availability with BCAPPD staff. Once the Community Service Provider has been determined, BCAPPD staff will contact the provider to have the offender placed. The non-profit agency then tracks work hours completed and reports back to BCAPPD staff as needed. Supervised offenders are also provided with a Community Service Log by BCAPPD staff which they are responsible for in order to log hours. BCAPPD staff may request to review the Community Service Log as needed.

Offenders may also complete community service hours at community events that are scheduled throughout the year. BCAPPD staff will advise offenders of upcoming events. Those on ARD may contact our office for community service opportunities.

The Bucks County Adult Probation and Parole Department's Community Service program currently has over 50 different non-profit agencies in which offenders perform Community Service work. See Agreement Between Placement Agency and Program Form (PDF).

Contact Us

Questions concerning the Bucks County Adult Probation and Parole Department's Community Service Program can be directed to our offices.