Community Service

The Polk County Community Service Program is a combination of in-custody inmate workers and out-of-custody community service workers that perform various tasks within the community under the supervision and direction of Polk County Community Corrections.

Inmate work crews are provided in partnership with the Polk County Jail.  These inmates are housed in the Polk County Jail and are allowed to leave the facility to perform supervised community service projects throughout Polk County.  Inmate participation in the Community Service program is a privilege that is extended to sentenced inmates by the Polk County Commissioners Office, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Community Corrections, Polk County Circuit Court, and the county agencies which are selected to participate by the Board of Commissioners.

Community Corrections’ Community Service Program also serves as the primary resource for the courts, for referring offenders to fulfill court-ordered community service obligations.  The Community Service Program also receives a high volume of probation clients with community service sanctions, as well as a small number of out of county referrals for community service sanctions.  Community Corrections’ staff will receive and process referrals, schedule the days to be worked with the offenders, track the progress, and report back to the referral source (completion, failure to complete, or removal from the program), as well as the on-the-ground component that includes the scheduling of work sites, allocation of labor, supervision of work performed, training, transportation, etc.  Depending on labor needs and projects, out-of-custody clients work with assigned work crews or are placed at partnering agency work sites to work under the direction of authorized staff.