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Community Service Placements
CCS accepts all court referrals, a challenging task given the broad
range of referral ages, education, and job capabilities. There is no
pre-qualification screening process. When sentenced, the offenders may
be employed or unemployed with little or no previous work experience.
Some possess no obvious skill sets, while others may have craft
abilities, such as cabinet-makers, electricians, or plumbers. Still
others may hold management, academic, or leadership responsibilities.
And some may even be physically disabled. All CCS referrals, whatever
their background, work off their debts to society in closely supervised
settings.
CCS placement counselors carefully evaluate and try
to match referrals
with community service needs. They also consider the referral's work,
school, and family schedules. In most cases, a task will be assigned in
an offender's neighborhood. CCS staff and experienced volunteers are
adept in this matching process.
CCS carefully monitors all referrals. An extensive computer data system
provides the courts with comprehensive and accurate status reports. Each
judge receives printouts to closely track referrals' status, including
number of hours served and any variation in performance.
Court Community Service
operates supervised community service work crews that provide assistance
to not-for-profit and governmental agencies throughout Cuyahoga
County...
Cleveland Work Crew Program
With funding provided by the Cleveland Municipal Court, the Cleveland
Work Crew Program is a full-time, year-round resource for not-for-profit and
governmental agencies located in Cleveland serving Cleveland residents. Special
emphasis is placed on activities that improve the physical environment of the
city and its neighborhoods. Typical projects include litter collection,
community cleanups, landscaping, and graffiti removal. The Cleveland Work Crew
Program also provides special assistance to the
Cleveland Housing Court for projects to assist senior and disabled
Cleveland residents and community development organizations. Work crews also
supplement the activities of the Cleveland Senior Services Work Crew by
assisting with lawn mowing, yard maintenance, and snow shoveling for senior
residents referred by the Cleveland Department of Aging. Projects
completed in 2008 encompass all twenty-one wards throughout Cleveland.
|
2008
|
|
Community Service Hours Worked
|
20,527
|
|
Bags of Trash Collected
|
12,276
|
|
Tires Collected
|
808
|
| Cubic Yards of Debris Collected |
1,798 |
| Lawn Mowings* |
39 |
| Fall Leaf Cleanups* |
52 |
| Snow Removals* |
2,332 |
|
Property Cleanouts* |
2 |
* Indicates activities performed in conjunction with the Cleveland
Senior Services Work Crew Program.
Cleveland Senior Services Work Crew Program
Court Community Service continued a successful collaboration with the City of
Cleveland Department of Aging
in 2008. With its support, CCS provided a full-time supervised work crew,
the Cleveland Senior Services Work Crew, to assist senior homeowners
referred by the Department's Chore Services Program. Seniors receive lawn
mowing, yard maintenance, and snow shoveling services, helping them remain in
their homes.
2008
|
Community Service Hours Worked |
3,833 |
|
Bags of Trash Collected
|
1,968
|
| Days of Service Provided |
160 |
| Seniors Served |
806 |
| Lawn Mowings |
491 |
| Fall Leaf Cleanups |
45 |
| Snow Removals |
391 |
|
Cuyahoga County Litter Collection Program
Funded by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, the Cuyahoga
County Litter Collection Program provides two supervised work crews to
perform litter collection along public roadways and properties in
communities throughout Cuyahoga County.
2008
|
Community Service Hours Worked |
15,936 |
|
Bags of Trash Collected |
9,877 |
|
Tires Collected |
15,699 |
|
Cuyahoga County TAP Litter Collection Program
Court Community Service continued a successful collaboration with the
Cuyahoga County Dept. of Development, providing litter collection
services to eligible communities in the county. Part of the county's
Targeted Assistance Program (TAP), this additional litter collection
service is one of many programs being implemented by the Dept. of
Development to improve the appearance of commercial districts.
2008
|
Community Service Hours Worked
| 9,373 |
|
|
Bags of Trash Collected
| 4,720
|
| Tires Collected |
6 |
Ohio Department of Transportation - District 12 Litter Collection
Program
Funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) - District 12, the
ODOT Litter Collection Program provides supervised work crews that perform
litter collection activities along interstate roadways throughout Cuyahoga
County.
2008
|
Community Service Hours Worked
|
11,914 |
|
Bags of Trash Collected
|
15,031
|
Tires Collected
|
110
|
Greater Cleveland RTA Litter Collection Program
Court Community Service continued a successful
collaboration with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
(RTA)
to enhance the appearance of RTA properties with ongoing weekly litter
collection. Litter collection is focused on RTA parking lots at
rapid stations, "Park-and-Ride" commuter lots, and maintenance
facilities. Work is scheduled on weekends and operated year-round,
weather permitting.
2008
|
Community Service Hours Worked
|
4,974 |
|
Bags of Trash Collected
|
3,748
|
|
Tires Collected
|
45 |
| | |
|
Garfield Heights Municipal
Court Work Crew
A new and innovative pilot program
created with the support the Garfield Heights Municipal Court and
the Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation was launched in
2008. Modeled after CCS’s successful work crew programs that operate in
Cleveland, this new resource provides a work crew to perform exterior
yard work and property cleanups. Work will be targeted to seniors and
people with disabilities, as well as problem properties creating
neighborhood nuisances. In 2008 work began in June with an initial six
properties cleaned. Fifty properties will be cleaned during the
remainder of the pilot phase concluding in 2009. Long-term funding for
the program is generated by a special project fee assessed on each
housing case in the Garfield Heights Municipal Court.
2008
|
Community Service Hours Worked
| 168 |
|
| Bags of Trash Collected |
74 |
Cubic Yards of Debris
Collected | 160 |
Additional Work Crew Projects
In addition to the above programs, Court Community Service provides
supervised work crews to not-for-profit and governmental agencies for
assistance with a variety of projects. In 2008, work crews assisted with
cleanup at community festivals, interior cleaning, painting,
landscaping, maintenance in community gardens, and moving equipment and
furniture.
Additional Agencies Assisted by Court Community Service Supervised Work
Crews
| Berea Kiwanis Club |
National
Multiple Sclerosis Society |
|
| Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds |
Ohio Canal Corridor |
| City of East Cleveland |
Orange City Schools |
| Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic
Riding Center |
St. Gregory the Great Church |
Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic
Center | |
Carrying Concealed Weapons Program
The Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas initiated the Carrying Concealed Weapon
Program in 1985 to lower recidivism among offenders convicted of crimes
involving a firearm. Court Community Service (CCS) has administered this program
since 1993.
Many convicted offenders in this unique program are otherwise "law-abiding"
citizens. As an alternative to sentencing, judges may order them to attend a
three-hour Saturday workshop at the Justice Center. There the life-threatening
consequences of carrying and using a firearm are described in detail. Offenders
also learn about the personal, legal, and financial implications of a second
weapons-law conviction.
An experienced attorney leads the workshop, offering participants an opportunity
to talk about their convictions through facilitated group discussions. While
offenders often express feelings of anger and confusion, most are aware of the
severe consequences attached to further firearms convictions.
Combining Education with Punishment
The Carrying Concealed Weapon program was developed through the shared efforts
of Common Pleas Court, its Probation Department and the Coroner's and Public
Defender's offices.
"Offenders in this program are often people who carry a weapon out of fear and
are not bent on committing a crime," explains retired Common Pleas Court Judge
Burt W. Griffin. "Therefore it is necessary to combine education (the workshop)
with punishment (the cost of the program and the required time to attend)."
Along with one-on-one and group discussions, participants complete a
self-evaluation form that focuses on the financial and personal costs of their
offenses. Sample responses include:
When asked about what she would do differently in her life to avoid a similar
situation, one participant wrote: "I've learned that I have other choices
besides carrying a gun." Another wrote, "This program has helped me a lot. It
has made me realize I cannot carry a gun." A third responded that he gained the
greatest value in "talking about how children can be hurt by guns."
Administration of the Program
Participants pay the costs of the workshop. CCS functions as the administrative
arm of this program by processing referrals from courts within Cuyahoga County,
providing complete management, placement, and follow-through responsibility.
Carrying Concealed Weapon Referrals
Cleveland and surrounding communities refer more than 200 offenders each year to
the program. Cleveland Municipal, Common Pleas, and suburban municipal courts
are actively involved.
Carrying Concealed Weapons Program Referrals
| Court |
2007 |
2008 |
| |
|
|
| Cleveland
Municipal Court |
35 |
38 |
| Cuyahoga County
Common Pleas |
150 |
230 |
| Cuyahoga County
Pre-Trial Felony Diversion Program |
61 |
71 |
| Suburban Municipal and Other
Referrals |
24 |
26 |
| Total |
270 |
365 |
|
No. of Referrals carried over from 2007 |
25 |
No. of Referrals received in 2008
| 365
|
|
Total 2008 CCW Program Clients
|
390
|
|
Case Status (as of 12/31/2008)
|
|
Cases Pending |
40 |
No. of Clients who Completed a workshop |
208
|
No. of Clients Terminated from the CCW Program
(did not
report to workshop) |
60
|
No. of Referrals Returned to Court without placement
(excluding terminated clients) |
82
|
|
Total 2008 CCW Program Clients
|
390
|
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