COMMUNITY-SERVICE - A GOOD IDEA THAT WORKS

For more than a decade the community service program initiated by the probation office in the Northern District of Georgia has brought offenders and community together, often with dramatic positive results. Author Richard J. Maher presents several of the district's ''success stories'' and describes how the program has built a bridge of trust between offenders and the community, has provided valuable services to the community, and has saved millions of dollars in prison costs. He also notes that the ''get tough on crime'' movement threatens proven and effective community service programs and decreases the probability that new programs will be encouraged or accepted.