Community Service FAQs
In connection with many criminal cases, a defendant is ordered to complete Community Service hours, also referred to as CSW. In some jurisdictions, such as the City of Columbia Municipal Court, court-ordered probation is supervised by a court officer, sometimes referred to as a probation officer. In other cases, community service is to be provided directly to the prosecuting attorney’s office. If you have an attorney, he or she can assist you in providing proof of CSW hours to the appropriate party.
Agencies Approved for Community Service
You should always double check with your attorney whether a particular agency will be approved for CSW. The requirements for what an acceptable place to complete CSW is varies between jurisdiction. Generally, a tax-exempt non-profit organization (also known as a 501(c)(3)) will be acceptable. Other requirements for acceptable community service hours can include:
Secular
Participant is not being compensated
Agency is not being compensated for the participant’s time
Local
Mid-Missouri Entities that have been approved for CSW by Courts:
The following is a list of Mid-Missouri Agencies that have, in the author’s experience, been approved for CSW. Always double check with your attorney as to whether performing community service work for these agencies will be acceptable for your case:
American Legion Post 202 (573) 442-2950
Boone County VFW Post 280 (573) 442-8413
Boonslick Heartland YMCA (660) 882-8500
Boys & Girls Club (573) 874-1697
Camp Hickory Hill (573) 445-9146
Campus Activities (573) 882-3780
MU Central Missouri Humane Society (573) 443-7387
Central Pantry (573) 874-7848
City of Centralia (573) 682-2139
Columbia Art League (573) 443-8838
City of Columbia Parks Management (573) 874-7202
City of Columbia Parks & Rec (573) 874-7499
City of Columbia Volunteer Programs. (573) 874-7499
DD Farms (573) 446-0648
Downtown Optimist Club (573) 881-3471
Food Bank (573) 447-6609
Habitat for Humanity (573) 499-1202
City of Hallsville (573) 696-3885
KOPN (573) 874-1139
Meals on Wheels (573) 886-7554
Goodwill (573) 442-4050
Mid-Missouri Peace Works (573) 875-0539
Parent Link (573) 882-7323
Senior Activity Center (573) 449-8000
Salvation Army - Parkade (573) 449-5202
Salvation Army - Walnut (573) 443-2786
Serve (Fulton) (573) 642-6388 x8
Unchained Melodies Dog Rescue. (573) 814-8073
University YMCA (573) 882-1550
“We Always Swing” Jazz Series (573) 449-3009
This list is not exhaustive, and there may be agencies on this list that are no longer accepting individuals for CSW. Also, some of the agencies listed above have requirements such as being an MU student or having a driver’s license. Several agencies do not accept CSW for offenses involving stealing, assault, and/or controlled substances. It is important to know when you are signing up for CSW whether it is court-ordered, or pre-disposition, as pre-disposition CSW does not have all of the same requirements for verification as court-ordered CSW. You should discuss these differences with your attorney.
How Do I Record or Prove Community Service?
In most, if not all, cases, someone will be verifying your hours. It is therefore important to record your hours, as well as provide a contact name and phone number or email for the person who can verify your hours. Falsifying hours can cause additional charges to be brought against you, such as forgery.
Some courts have a particular sheet that they prefer to be used to record the hours, but if not, any recordation fo the hours should be acceptable, so long as it contains contact information for verification.
If your agency is listed above, and you would like it removed, or if you know of a Mid-Missouri agency that offers CSW that is not on this list, and you would like it to be on this list, please contact ben@comocriminaldefense.com.