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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.

Ben Faber