The Probation Service is pleased to release the findings of an evaluation on Integrated Community Service, completed earlier this year. A review of Integrated Community Service was conducted by Dr Louise Kennefick and Dr Eoin Guilfoyle, lecturers in criminal law at the Universities of Glasgow and Brunel University London, respectively. The research focused on the effectiveness of Integrated Community Service (ICS), when it occurs as part of a community service order (CSO). A CSO is an order from the courts that a person convicted of a crime should undertake unpaid work in their locality, as an alternative to a short-term prison sentence.
ICS options can count towards partial completion of overall CSO hours imposed, where appropriate, to support long term desistance from offending. ICS is unique in that it considers the diverse and complex needs of individuals who offend, focusing on rehabilitation efforts, through activities such as education/training courses, counselling/addiction treatment, and mental health care. In their final report, Doctors Kennefick and Guilfoyle identified 11 recommendations for ICS, aimed at introducing improvements and reforms to the overall model. These are now being implemented by the Probation Service in a phased manner, prioritising those with the most immediate impact.
The review is available to read here: A review of Integrated Community Service