Families of SOs Community Group

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toby56 04/20/2014

Hello,

I'm currently a registrant and on probation. I was sentenced in 2013 to 5 years probation and 100 hours of community service and I'm having a really hard time trying to find someplace I can do community service at.

My PO has run out of ideas, he first sent me to a park, yes a park to do my hours. When I arrived at the park they told me I couldn't do it there. Then my PO tried the animal shelter, nope cant do it there. He asked me to call 7 different places and ask, I called good will (nope) libraries in different counties(nope) a church (nope).

I see my PO tomorrow and he wants a list of all the places I called.

The thing is, I'm the only registrant on supervision that has to do community service and also I'm the only person who my treatment provider is seeing who has community service so this doesn't seem like a common thing a judge would sentence a registrant to.

I'm about to call my lawyer and have him ask the judge to change this on my sentence.

You can't do community service if the community doesn't want you. I don't think the judge realized that when he sentenced me.

ThoughtAsWeak 04/21/2014

In my state, you can do community service hours doing trash pick up along the road ways. Is that a possibility to check into if the community service hours can't be removed.

deleted_user 04/21/2014

I'm surprised Goodwill won't let you do it there. If your city has a food bank/warehouse try that, that's where I did mine while on work release.

frogpond1 04/21/2014

Surprised the church wouldn't let you. So much for foregivness.

sadsong44 04/21/2014

My husband did it a city trash dump. He didn't mind because he managed to get all the hours in over a two day period. That is what our country thinks of sex offenders - trash. He had to call a lot of numbers but wanted to get it over with.

spock152 04/21/2014

have you tried your local church ? Some of them are willing and able to help !

deleted_user 04/21/2014

I would suggest like people here have said but I would add that working with your Probation officer is your best way. I would give them the dates, names, and phone number of the groups and people you have tried. Tell the PO that they have refused your community service request.

You may also wish to contact your lawyer or public defender that represented you in court. they may be able to put in a motion to modify your judgment to have the community service modified or dropped especially since you have had refusals. I personally have never heard of any sex offender getting community service. I suggested it to my lawyer as something I would be willing to do instead of jail time. I was thinking of that idea as out of personal safety concerns being in jail. I was lucky I got a fully suspended sentence and 6 years probation. I still have to register for life though.

faeryedark 04/21/2014

I would suggest picking up trash as well. Also check with your treatment provider and Po, maybe you can do something like set up chairs for meetings, brew coffee and the like at those types of offices and they can give you some time that way

Also ask your PO for what he considers possible for community service. Maybe check with your local Community Action Program and see what programs they offer.

bsmom14 04/21/2014

what about a nursing home? I work at one and we always need volunteers to read to them, or sit and talk to them, or even clean up outside around the different homes?

october2014 04/21/2014

Maybe a letter or something to the court would clue them in a bit about how hard things are when you can't even do something good for someone else.

Independent2014 04/21/2014

Call your local prison and ask for the chaplain. Ask him what volunteer opportunities they might have for you.

toby56 04/22/2014

Thank you for the replies. My treatment provider tried to help me with community service, his brother is an athletic director of a local college and he didn't mind me doing it there but the school wouldn't let me. Where I live, the people that collect trash along the highways are inmates in local jails and I'm not sure if the jail would let me work along side of the inmates since I'm considered "protective custody" and a liability for the jail if something would happen to me. MY PO on Monday mentioned the Salvation Army and St. Vincent De Paul so I'm going to try contact them this week, if they refuse then my only option is to contact my attorney and see what we can do, I just want to make sure I've exhausted all my options before I contact the judge. Maybe the Judge will have some Ideas. Thanks again you guys.

klw9653 04/22/2014

I've heard Salvation Army doesn't like to help sex offenders. I'm surprised about goodwill since they helped out my son with job skills and the church, well, shame on them for not showing christian love. I would try other churches. Maybe a homeless shelter for men. Maybe different gov agencies? Or a recycling center? Either way I hope you find something or can get your service hrs changed to something else.

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