OFFENDERS PAY BACK TO COMMUNITY BETTERMENT

Crime doesn't pay. But court-ordered community service is allowing those convicted of misdemeanors to turn their misdeeds into community betterment. And that makes everyone a winner.

Locally, the program is coordinated by a not-for-profit business, founded last July to place and keep track of offenders. Community Service Management is aided by faculty and student volunteers from the criminal justice department at Southeast Missouri State University.

The business works with nearly 100 placement sites, including government institutions and non-profit agencies. Placements range from parks and the Humane Society to libraries, hospitals and Southeast Missouri State University.

In its first year of operations, the firm will have worked with about 600 individuals, who have performed nearly 27,000 hours of service. That's a lot of good work going back into the community. The sentences typically range from 15 to 120 hours per person, with an average of about 50 hours. Offenders must work at least four hours each week.

These court-ordered "volunteers" have provided a big shot in the arm to many area non-profit agencies, which can't afford huge payrolls. But not only small operations benefit. In the wake of recent budget cuts, this free labor has allowed the university to do a better job maintaining its grounds and buildings.

This program really represents the wave of the future. With overloaded jails, judges see these community service programs as an alternative to incarceration. Community service is also cost-effective. Jails are expensive to build and operate. It costs about $23,000 a year to keep one person in jail.

Although convicted of a crime, these people are not hardened criminals. Most are simply first-time offenders, in their 20s and 30s, who have made a mistake. The program allows them a second chance, without doing time. Community Service Management has estimated that 9 out of 10 of the local offenders successfully complete their community work. Very few of these people go back to court.

What's more, several of these people have been hired by the agencies after their service ends. Others have continued to volunteer at the agencies. Part of the success is due to the fact that offenders' skills are matched with agency needs.

Joe Sampson, a Southeast criminal justice master's degree graduate, also deserves praise for his entrepreneurship. He operates the business with minimal staff, without all the red tape that a government-run program would require. The offenders themselves pay for the service through a $40 court-ordered fee. As such, it's not a drain on taxpayer dollars.

The support of local municipal and associate circuit court judges, particularly Judge Benjamin Lewis, has also helped to make this program a real success story. It also crosses socio-economic barriers. Not everyone can afford a fine, but all can perform community service.

Crime doesn't pay, but those who commit misdemeanors in this region are paying the community back through Community Service Management. It's a good example how private enterprise can foster public welfare and better our community.