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character of the voluntary sector in England and Wales was transformed by the advent of
the welfare state, which transformation commenced in the late 1940s. Services which
hitherto were in part provided by both church and lay volunteers, motivated by a spirit of
philanthropyin the areas of health and education, were displaced byprofessional state paid
service providers (Crossman 1973: 266). Increasingly the voluntary sector realigned its
position and its relationship with the state sector by identifying gaps in the provision of
those services and in identifying newly emerging needs which were not considered
appropriate within the broadthrust of the welfare state function (Beveridge1948: 266-302).
Indeed Lady Wootton recognised that the idea of voluntary service had come into fresh
prominence with the emergence of such organisations (Home Office 1970:par 32).
The most appealing features of community service for the Wootton Committee were the
opportunity for offenders to engage in constructive activity by personal service to the
community and the possibility which this might afford by way of changed outlook by the
offender (Pease 1980; Home Office 1970).
In light of the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Penal System (Wootton
Report), the Home Office Working Group was established to report on the practical issues
raised by a scheme of community service by offenders and what form of statutory
arrangement would be best suited to give effect to it (Home Office Working Group 1971).
In considering the proposals of the Wootton Committee the Working Group had to
address certain practical matters such as the administrative aspects of any new scheme of
penalty unrelated to the processing and containment of prisoners and the collection of
fines. They endorsed the Probation Service as the most appropriate agency to administer
the scheme as recommendedbythe Wootton Committee.
The Group specifically recommended that community service was such a new and
undeveloped concept, it should be presented in legislation as a stand alone order and
should not be combined with any other dispositions such as a fine or a probation order
(Pease 1980).
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