For the past 20 years, criminal justice professionals in the United States and elsewhere have experimented with community service orders. Since the early 1960's, Federal courts often have chosen to suspend sentences and impose a special condition of probation directing offenders to perform community service work for public or charitable organizations. Community service orders alone, or combined with other special probation conditions, offer the court a broad range of sanctions that can be tailored to the seriousness of the offense and the individual offender's needs. When used properly, a community service order punishes, provides for reparation, and assists in resocializing the offender. Community service orders protect the community while minimizing the costs of dealing with the inmates selected for the program. 7 footnotes and 16 references.