[Day Fines]
Charles Bosworth, Jr, "Program Provides Alternatives to Fines," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 7, 1999. Sec. C, p. 1.

In a program similar to "day fines," Madison County, Illinois, judges are allowing defendants to pay misdemeanor fines ranging from $75 to $500 by taking classes or providing community service. The alternative sentencing program offers credits of $100 each toward unpaid fines. Not only does the county not have the courtroom resources to handle the docket n a more traditional manner, the judges are reluctant to jail someone who is supporting two or three kids working a minimum-wage job. The classes are either defensive driving or employment skills-related.

• In what other ways does the community benefit from defendants taking classes or offering community service in order to make restitution?
• In what ways is this similar to "day fines"?

[Community Service]
Cindy Loose, "Service with a Sentence; Charities Rely Heavily on Court-Ordered Offenders," The Washington Post, July 18, 1999.

Courts are using "restorative justice" sentences such as community service as a way to punish offenders, satisfy the community's need for retribution, and provide much-needed labor to non-profit and government agencies. Many times there is relevance in the sentencing-such as placing shoplifters to work in thrift stores. Other times, the thought is to place people where their skills are needed most. In one case, a locksmith was sent to rekey a newly acquired low-income housing facility. In another, the court sent carpenters, painters, and a man who laid tile floor to a wheelchair society that was remodeling its repair shop.

Offender Aid and Restoration, an agency that administrates community service workers and projects, indicates about 85 percent of the people sent to them by the courts complete their community service. Of those, 90 percent stayed trouble-free for the one year that they were tracked after completing their hours. The 15 percent that don't complete their hours are sent back to the court system.

• Why is community service such a good alternative for sentencing in non-violent cases?
• In what ways are the community's needs met by the use of community service as a sentencing tool?