Contamination Theory and Unpaid Community Work

Abstract

Community work has been available as a sentencing disposition in Australia for about 15 years. Little is known, however, about the relative impact of different types of community work placements on offenders. There is some evidence that when offenders are placed on worksites with other offenders, they may be influenced by those offenders and in turn become more criminal. On the other hand, offenders who are placed on worksites where they either work on their own, or alongside members of the community, may be influenced in a more prosocial direction.

This study considers this issue and finds that offenders placed on worksites with other offenders are more likely to commit breaches of their orders in comparison to those placed on individual worksites. Whilst those placed on group worksites are more likely to be high risk offenders, the differences remain significant, even when the levels of risk are taken into account.