Under Detention Center auspices since 1990, the Community Service Program (CSP) facilitates and enforces fulfillment of the service obligation and operates out of the Ordnance Road Correctional Center.
How to
Participants may be ordered to perform community service:
- As a condition of probation;
- As a condition of a suspended sentence;
- In lieu of payment for fines and court costs;
- Providing the participant consents;
- Providing the participant has not been convicted of a crime of violence.
Referral
Participants the Court determines eligible and appropriate for Community Service may be referred by completing a Community Service Program Referral. These forms are made available by the Department of Detention Facilities and are printed on carbonized paper for distribution to the participant, DDF and Court file. Important features of the form include:
- Direction that the participant report to the CSP office on a designated Thursday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. for intake.
- Requirement that the participant pay a one-time fee of ($50), due at intake.
- The number of hours of community service the participant is required to perform and the date by which they are to be completed.
NOTE: To assist the program staff in effectively enforcing requirements, the Court is asked to adhere to the following guidelines:
- No more than two weeks allowed for every eight hours to be performed;
- Start date within two weeks from the date of the hearing.
Conducted Thursdays between 8:00 and 11:30 a.m. in the CSP office at ORCC. Intake interviews are conducted one-on-one and include:
- Verification of identity Review of the community service requirement as ordered by the Court;
- Review of the participant’s criminal history to ensure eligibility under Maryland Annotated Code, Criminal Law Article, Title 14, Section 101;
- Assignment to a community service site;
- Collection of ($50.00) fee;
- Review of program rules, regulations, and procedures.
A DDF Case Manager is responsible for developing sites that offer meaningful, relevant work and that meet criteria set forth in Correctional Services Section 8-701:
- Must be a private charitable, non-profit institution; or,
- Must be a public and community service association; or,
- Must be a government agency.
Additionally, sites must provide descriptions of projects and any special skills or restrictions that may apply; e.g., offense restrictions, physical requirements, etc. Program staff maintain regular contact with all sites to ensure hours are reported and concerns or problems are addressed.
Any failure to abide by Community Service Program rules and regulations or to comply with the Court's Order is considered a violation, including:
- Failure to complete intake;
- Failure to report to the worksite following intake;
- Failure to cooperate at the worksite;
- Failure to complete community service hours within stipulated time;
The Community Service Program attempts to bring violators into compliance by telephone and/or mail before notifying the Court. If contact cannot be made or if the participant continues in violation, the Court and the Office of the States’ Attorney is advised in writing. In cases where the participant is on supervised probation, the probation office is notified for possible violation. The Community Service Program staff are available for violation hearings.
As part of a cooperative arrangement with other Maryland Community Service Programs, a participant residing outside of Anne Arundel County may be referred to his or her home jurisdiction for placement and monitoring. Violations are reported to the Anne Arundel County CSP, which forwards the report to the Court.