Realising the Potential: The Research Evidence Base for Unpaid Work

Abstract

This chapter reviews and integrates the research evidence base for unpaid work. It begins by examining national reconviction data relating to the adult Community Service Order (CSO), before exploring the quality and findings of the few studies which have investigated the re-integrative potential of this sanction. The chapter then turns to the youth justice Reparation Order (RO), examining recidivism rates from official statistics and previous research studies. It concludes by identifying both the extent to which policy and practice match the evidence base, and the extent to which they are lacking. It also concludes that there is a paucity of high quality research into community reparation for young offenders.