THE CSO'S WERE INTRODUCED TO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE TO INCARCERATION OF OFFENDERS WHERE THE USUAL TERMS OF PROBATION WERE AN INSUFFICIENT DISPOSITION. DURING THE FIRST YEAR, 264 PROBATIONERS COMPLETED THEIR ORDERS. THE MAJORITY OF THE CSO PROBATIONERS COMPLETED THEIR ORDERS. THE MAJORITY OF THE CSO PROBATIONERS IN THE PILOT PROJECTS WERE MALE, UNDER 20-YEARS OLD, SINGLE, AND HAD ACQUIRED AT LEAST SOME HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION. THEY HAD MOSTLY BEEN SENTENCED TO ONE OFFENSE ONLY, OFTEN A PROPERTY-RELATED OFFENSE. THE MOST COMMON CRIME OF WHICHCSO PROBATIONERS HAD BEEN CONVICTED WAS THEFT OF UNDER $200. THE PROBATION TERMS ISSUED BY THE JUDICIARY WERE USUALLY JUST OVER A YEAR IN DURATION. THE CSO PROBATIONERS WHO HAD COMPLETED THEIR ORDERS WERE ASSIGNED AN AVERAGE OF 52.7 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE WORK. THE ORDERS RANGED FROM 8 TO 348 HOURS, AND ALMOST HALF THE PROBATIONERS HAD BEEN ASSIGNED 30 HOURS OR LESS. DURING THE 12-MONTH PERIOD, PROBATIONERS WORKED A TOTAL OF 12,798 HOURS OF UNPAID COMMUNITY SERVICE. THE OVERALL SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION RATE OF THE CSO ASSIGNMENTS WAS 93 PERCENT AND OVER HALF OF THE OFFENDERS COMPLETED THEIR HOURS WITHIN 2 MONTHS OF BEGINNING THEM. COMMUNITY PLACEMENTS AND THE RESPECTIVE TASKS VARIED WITH THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE PILOT PROJECT AREAS, BUT THE MOST COMMON CHORE WAS SIMPLE MANUAL LABOR. AT LEAST 8 OUT OF EVERY 10 PROBATIONERS WERE BROUGHT INTO CONTACT WITH THE BENEFICIARIES OF THEIR EFFORTS AT SOME TIME DURING THEIR COMMUNITY SERVICE. PROBATIONERS USUALLY WORKED ALONGSIDE AND WERE SUPERVISED BY REGULAR AGENCY PAID STAFF. MOST OF THE AGENCIES REPORTED TOTAL SATISFACTION WITH THE PROBATIONERS' EFFORTS, AND ONE-FIFTH OF THE PROBATIONERS CONTINUED THEIR VOLUNTEER WORK AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THEIR ASSIGNMENTS. A FURTHER 5 PERCENT BECAME EMPLOYEES AT THEIR COMMUNITY PLACEMENTS. THUS, THE CSO PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE PROVIDING A COMMUNITY-BASED SENTENCING OPTION IN THE TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS. HOWEVER, IT IS, AS YET, DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PROGRAM IS PROVIDING AN ALTERNATIVE TO INCARCERATION OF OFFENDERS. TABLES, FIGURES, FOOTNOTES, AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. A DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNITY PLACEMENTS AND TASKS PERFORMED IN THE 12 PILOT CSO PROJECTS AREAS IS APPENDED. FOR THE SECOND PART OF THIS REPORT, SEE NCJ 68360. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)