Community Service Restitution (CSR)

CSCD's Community Service Restitution (CSR) program provides the framework through which offenders on Community Supervision complete community service requirements ordered by the felony and misdemeanor courts.

Judges have the discretion of allowing probationers to contribute monetary donations to a Food Bank located in Tarrant County in lieu of hours performed. The rate, if not otherwise specified by the court, will be based on the legal minimum wage per hour/credit.

Individuals who are on Community Supervision can be assigned to one of more than 160 social service, nonprofit, and/or government agencies. These agencies utilize Community Service Restitution Volunteers to perform a variety of functions and provide labor that would otherwise not be available to them due to budget limitations. In FY 2012, Tarrant County had 10,181 probationers that completed 520,100 community service hours for Tarrant County and saved social, nonprofit and/or government agencies in Tarrant County more than $8,841,700 in costs for commercial day labor ($17 per hour according to Labor Board of Statistics) or $3,770,725 for minimum wage workers ($7.25 per hour according to Value at Minimum Wage).

Special events are scheduled from April-November each year, which allows probationers to obtain several hours in large blocks of time on weekends and nights.

The CSR program recognizes that offenders have harmed the community and the community is thus a victim.  Community service serves as both a punishment and as a way for offenders to help heal the community they have harmed.  The end result is a community that has been repaired and offenders who are less likely to reoffend.  CSR is an essential program for this community.  It keeps many offenders out of jail by providing an alternative avenue for reparation to the community.  As a result, it also saves the taxpayers money, as fewer offenders are incarcerated.  CSR gives offenders an opportunity to learn that everyone has responsibilities to their community. 

CSR is an integral part of the rehabilitation of offenders assigned to the program. Through the program, offenders develop a work ethic, learn to be responsible, develop work skills and increase self-esteem by completing their assigned tasks, and a chance to give back to the community at large.