Upon being placed on probation, Earn-It screens offenders for high risk. As a condition of their probation or release, offenders are ordered to perform a minimum of 250 hours of community work service and pay a predetermined restitution. Probationers are also ordered to attend school and abide by curfews set by the program. If suspended, expelled, or caught skipping school, clients are required to report for community work service until re-enrolled. Abstinence from alcohol and drugs is required; this is enforced through periodic urine and saliva testing. In the first of the program's four phases, clients' community work service schedules vary according to whether they are in school or working. In the program's second phase, clients are given more freedom, as they are excused from two afternoons per week of community work service, and curfews are relaxed for several hours. In the third phase, community work service is further reduced; and in the final phase community work service is performed only one day a week until the original court order is fulfilled. The program has reduced recidivism among clients, including serious offenders, and saved money by serving as an alternative to incarceration. 24 references