Community service within the justice system is used today, due to prison overcrowding. The problem of community service as a discipline in the justice system. Some offenders may pose a threat. for the safety of citizens and safe communities. Community service was created as a way for the justice system to budget for the community. Community Service, (2014) Community service programs launched in the United States with female traffic offenders in Alameda County, California. in 1966. Local initiatives followed in several counties in the United States. The State of California believed that community service would help solve the problem of prison overcrowding. Nonviolent offenders who otherwise would have been incarcerated were given the option of performing community service or repaying their victims in lieu of incarceration. The original program was a success in Alameda, California. Community Service, (2014) Prison overcrowding has become a serious problem in the United States. He pushed for an increase in community service. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, state and local governments implemented new legislation. California enacted the three-strikes law, which provided mandatory sentences for repeat offenders. U.S. Legislative Council, (2009) Actions are underway to help reduce state and federal prison populations and keep communities safe. In August 2009, California ordered the release of 40,000 prisoners over two years. Keeping violent criminals off the streets is a major government liability. The times have made budget cuts a predominant element of the justice system. The correctional system is experiencing constant and rapid growth. Helping to legislate...... middle of paper ......ns. Being especially conscious of safety and proper monitoring of inmates could help weed out the wrong types of offenders released into society, which could pose a potential danger to citizens. Works CitedReferencesSlate Lutze, FE, Johnson WW, Clear TR, Latessa EJ, and Risdon N., The Future of Community Corrections is Now: Stop Dreaming and Act Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice February 2012 28:42-59, published for the first time December 29, 2011 doi: 10.1177/1043986211432193 American Legislative Exchange Council, (2014); Prison overcrowding, http://www.alec.org/initiatives/prison-overcrowdingRestorative Justice System On-line;Community Service,http://www.restorativejustice.org/university-classroom/01introduction/tutorial-introduction-to-restorative -justice/results/community service