As a criminal sanction, community service involves unpaid labor on the part of convicted criminal offenders. Community service was created as an alternative to incarceration for low-level offenders. It now appears, however, that community service is rarely used as a true alternative to prison, but rather as an added condition of probation. The body of research on community service in the United States is modest, so relatively little is known about its characteristics and administration. Data were attained from 88 Texas probation professionals via self-administered written surveys in an effort to gather information about the use of community service as a criminal sanction in Texas. Frequency distribution analyses identified characteristics of both community service programs and offender participants in Texas.

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / In the following theoretical study the phenomenon of boot camps is described within a penological perspective, as it has originated and developed and is applied in the United States of America. The primary aim of this study is to obtain the Magister Artium degree. Secondly, it sheds light on an alternative method of dispensation of offenders, more specific juvenile offenders, in the criminal justice system. The investigation is intended to make a modest contribution to the content of penology. Knowledge and insight obtained can serve as guidelines for future research in respect of and application of boot camps in South Africa. The planning and functioning of boot camps is taken into account and the rationale behind boot camps as an effective institution of punishment is investigated. This was done against the background of the elements of punishment, over-population of prisons, cost-effectiveness, residivism and rehabilitation. The study is of importance for South African circumstances, because of the increasingly over-population of prisons and the negative effect of imprisonment, especially on juveniles. / In die hieropvolgende teoretiese studie word die verskynsel van boot camps soos wat dit in die Verenigde State van Amerika ontstaan en ontwikkel het en toegepas word, binne 'n penologiese perspektief beskryf. Die beskrywing het in die eerste plek ten doel om die graad Magister Artium te verwerf. Ten tweede werp dit Jig op 'n alternatiewe beskikkingsmetode vir oortreders, veral jeugoortreders, in die regsplegingstelsel. Die doel van die ondersoek is om 'n beskeie bydrae tot die vakinhoud van die penologie te lewer. Kennis en insig wat ingesamel is kan as rigtingwyser dien virtoekomstige navorsing met betrekking tot en toepassing van boot camps in Suid-Afrika. Die beplanning en funksionering van boot camps word in oenskou geneem en die rasionaal van boot camps as 'n effektiewe strafinrigting is ondersoek. Dit is gedoen teen die agtergrond van die elemente van straf, gevangenisoorbevolking, koste-effektiwiteit, residivisme en rehabilitasie. Die studie is van belang vir Suid-Afrikaanse omstandighede weens die toenemende oorbevolking in gevangenisse en nadelige uitwerking van gevangenisstraf op veral jeugoortreders. / Penology / M.A. (Penology)

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / In the following theoretical study the phenomenon of boot camps is described within a penological perspective, as it has originated and developed and is applied in the United States of America. The primary aim of this study is to obtain the Magister Artium degree. Secondly, it sheds light on an alternative method of dispensation of offenders, more specific juvenile offenders, in the criminal justice system. The investigation is intended to make a modest contribution to the content of penology. Knowledge and insight obtained can serve as guidelines for future research in respect of and application of boot camps in South Africa. The planning and functioning of boot camps is taken into account and the rationale behind boot camps as an effective institution of punishment is investigated. This was done against the background of the elements of punishment, over-population of prisons, cost-effectiveness, residivism and rehabilitation. The study is of importance for South African circumstances, because of the increasingly over-population of prisons and the negative effect of imprisonment, especially on juveniles. / In die hieropvolgende teoretiese studie word die verskynsel van boot camps soos wat dit in die Verenigde State van Amerika ontstaan en ontwikkel het en toegepas word, binne 'n penologiese perspektief beskryf. Die beskrywing het in die eerste plek ten doel om die graad Magister Artium te verwerf. Ten tweede werp dit Jig op 'n alternatiewe beskikkingsmetode vir oortreders, veral jeugoortreders, in die regsplegingstelsel. Die doel van die ondersoek is om 'n beskeie bydrae tot die vakinhoud van die penologie te lewer. Kennis en insig wat ingesamel is kan as rigtingwyser dien virtoekomstige navorsing met betrekking tot en toepassing van boot camps in Suid-Afrika. Die beplanning en funksionering van boot camps word in oenskou geneem en die rasionaal van boot camps as 'n effektiewe strafinrigting is ondersoek. Dit is gedoen teen die agtergrond van die elemente van straf, gevangenisoorbevolking, koste-effektiwiteit, residivisme en rehabilitasie. Die studie is van belang vir Suid-Afrikaanse omstandighede weens die toenemende oorbevolking in gevangenisse en nadelige uitwerking van gevangenisstraf op veral jeugoortreders. / Penology / M.A. (Penology)