COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER
A Community Service Officer (CSO) plays a crucial role in managing community service programs, which serve as alternatives to traditional incarceration for minor or first-time offenders. These programs aim to provide offenders with the opportunity to give back to their communities while also addressing the underlying issues that led to their offenses.
CSOs are responsible for overseeing the implementation and coordination of these community service programs. They work within a governmental or judicial framework, often employed by entities such as the Ministry of Justice, to ensure the smooth operation of the programs
One example of such a program can be found in Lagos State, Nigeria, where the Community Service Unit (CSU) within the Ministry of Justice employs CSOs to manage offenders who have been sentenced to perform community service. These CSOs are tasked with assigning offenders to appropriate community service placements, monitoring their progress, and ensuring that the work performed is meaningful and beneficial to the community
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER:
I. Supervise and assist in identifying agencies for community service and work placement in his assigned district;
II. Provide instructions to agencies on the procedures and regulations of the scheme;
III. Supervise offenders ordered to do community service.
IV. Explain the conditions of the order and offender's responsibilities in the programme and consults with the approved agencies or work placement institutions to arrange for suitable work;
V. Provide reports to the court to assist in the ordering of community service;
VI. Investigate complaints about the Community Service Order Scheme.
VII. Provide information and consultation to the community and members of the criminal justice system regarding the Community Service Order Scheme: and.
VIII. Identify the need of a community or Magisterial District for purpose of work placement in order to ensure that the community service scheme meets the need of the community.
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Block 2, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Alausa, Ikeja
mojcommunityservice@lagosstate.gov.ng
+234 812 919 9164
+234 703 626 3466
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