Community Service
Program
- The Community Service Program provides continuous supervision for defendants who have been court-ordered to perform community service hours. The court may order defendants to complete the hours as a condition of their sentence or in lieu of fines and costs.
- Community service hours must be performed through an approved nonprofit agency.
For defendants who perform their community service out of the county or state, referral information will be forwarded, upon verification of the selected nonprofit agency approval.
Fees
- Registration fee: $35 per case number
- Registration fee for DUI-related cases: $75
Money orders, Visa or MasterCard credit cards are accepted for all fees from 8:00 am through 4:00 pm Monday through Friday.
Fees are collected to assist with liability and insurance costs.
Process
- Appointments are scheduled for defendants Monday-Friday from 1-4 p.m. The defendant completes a questionnaire. The questionnaire is screened and the defendant is placed with an agency from the community service agency listing.
- Consideration is given to the defendant concerning his or her medical condition, work schedule, and transportation needs, regarding placement.
- The defendant is given an agency referral form and time sheet to give to the supervisor of the agency.
- Upon completion of their hours, the time sheet is returned to the community service coordinator for verification.
If you have been placed on probation or deferred adjudication, the judge may require you to complete community service. In particular, Class C misdemeanors commonly have community service requirements.
In general, any organization that is either a nonprofit or a government agency is an acceptable option. Examples of common organizations include food banks, animal shelters, senior centers, etc.
In the Bryan-College Station area, there are a few options for your community service:
- Bryan Animal Center
- Aggieland Humane Society
- Brazos Valley Food Bank
- Boys' and Girls' Clubs
- BVCASA
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
If you are required to complete community service while you are on probation or deferred adjudication, your supervision officer will make a referral for community service from a list approved by the judge. If you have questions regarding this list, you may direct them towards your supervising officer.
You may have additional requirements included with your probation or deferred adjudication. For example, often, for alcohol-related charges, your community service must be related to alcohol. Additionally, there may be courses or programs you will be required to complete in addition to any service requirements, such as the Red Program with Texas A&M, programs with MADD, or other alcohol awareness and education courses. For more information about handling alcohol-related violations in the College Station Municipal Court, check out this video from Judge Spillane.
Some other courses commonly required in the Bryan-College Station area include:
Community Living Course: (for College Station Municipal Cases)
Alive at 25 Class
Alcohol Education or Public Intoxication Course
Drunk Driving Impact Panel
Drug and Alcohol Awareness Course
If you want to volunteer at an organization that you aren’t sure is acceptable, you may need to get approval from the court in order for your volunteer hours to count. In this scenario, your attorney can discuss available options for you. If you want to go this route, you must request it at the same time that you accept deferred adjudication.
In some cases – particularly in the Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 in College Station – you may be allowed to write essays in place of your community service requirements. These essays vary in topic, from case studies, to video reviews, to your experience attending an AA meeting. These each will count for varying hours of community service. If your case is in JP2 in College Station and you would like to pursue this option, be sure to discuss your questions with your attorney.
If you are a current client of The Greening Law Group and you have questions about completing your court-ordered community service, please reach out to our office to consult with your attorney.
If you have recently been charged with a Class C ticket – like Minor in Possession, DUI minor, Public Intoxication, and others – reach out to us today for a consultation with an experienced attorney who can guide you through the process.