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categories of offences for which convicted persons were given community service showed
a consistency with international experience with larceny offences clearly identified as the
primary category of offences for which community service orders are made (Walsh and
Sexton 1999:41). The authors expressed some surprise when considering road traffic and
vehicle offences which move into second place ahead of offences against the person. Of
those convicted of less serious assault, 70% had no previous criminal record. A further
11% had only one previous conviction. Of those convicted of driving offences, 45% had
no previous criminal record and a further 31% had only one previous conviction. By
comparison, of the offenders convicted of larceny, 41% had no previous criminal record
and a further 17% had only one previous conviction. These figures lend support to the
proposition that some Courts may be inclined to impose CSOs in situations where a
custodial sentence might not have been imposed had the CSO option not been available
(Walsh andSexton 1999: 42).
THE POSITION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AS A PENALTY WITHIN
IRISH SENTENCING LAW AND PRACTICE
In an effort to locate communityservice as a sanction in the continuum of Irish sentencing
practice, perhaps it is useful to see community service orders in a wider context which
wouldinclude such factors as societal support for communitybased sanctions, the function
and operational standards of the Probation Service in relation to communitysanctions, the
consistencyin the use bythe Courts of certain non-custodial sentences, the functionalityof
a rising, constant or falling crime rate andthe relative use of imprisonment bythe Courts.
Significant support for community based sanctions was reported by the National Crime
ForumFirst Report (1998) as follows:
The strong thrust of the presentations made to the Forum was that community-
based sanctions should be used whenever practicable and prison regarded as a last
resort. If there was one point on which there was virtual unanimity, it was that
imprisonment is not a successful strategyfor reducing crime (National Crime Forum
1998: 139).
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