Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Sentencing & Punishment

Community service

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/kəˌmjuːnəti ˈsɜːvɪs/nounCommon term

In criminal law & justice, community service means: Unpaid work that an offender must do for the local community, such as cleaning parks or repairing buildings, as a punishment instead of prison.

In Turkish: kamu yararına çalışma, toplum hizmeti

How it is used

Courts 'order' or 'sentence someone to' community service, for example '150 hours of community service'. In England and Wales the official term is 'unpaid work' as part of a 'community order'. It is mostly used for less serious offences and first-time offenders.

Example sentences

  1. She was ordered to do 100 hours of community service.

  2. Community service gives offenders a chance to repay society.

Common collocations

  • hours of community service
  • do community service
  • sentenced to community service
  • community order
  • sentenceThe punishment that a judge gives a person who has been found guilty; as a verb, to give someone a particular punishment.
  • probationA sentence or period in which an offender lives in the community instead of prison but must follow rules and meet regularly with a probation officer.
  • fineAn amount of money that a court or authority orders someone to pay as a punishment for breaking the law.
  • suspended sentenceA prison sentence that the offender does not have to serve unless they commit another offence or break certain conditions during a set period.
  • restorative justiceAn approach that brings victims and offenders into contact, usually through a trained mediator, so that the offender understands the harm caused and tries to repair it.

More terms: Sentencing & Punishment

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.