Rules for the Community Punishment Order

You have received a community punishment order. The probation service determines where you will perform the community service. We take account of your personal situation in this regard. For example, if you are going to school or have a job.

You must comply with several rules during the community service. You can read them below. Before you start your community service, you place your signature under these rules. By doing so you state that you understand them. Are you not obeying the rules? We then report that to the Public Prosecution Service. The consequence of this can be that the judicial authorities decide that you must go to prison.

The rules

1. If you are working

You must always arrive at the workplace on time.
We do not count travel time as hours worked. You pay your travel expenses yourself.
You must always bring a proof of identity to the workplace: a passport, ID card or driving licence.
You may not use a phone or other devices.
You agree with your community service project what clothing you will wear to work. Will you receive work clothes from the community service project? You will then wear them.
You must always work according to the safety instructions given to you at the community service project.

2. If you cannot go to work

Are you ill? Or is an emergency situation preventing you from going to work? Let us know this before 9.00 hours. You must inform two places that you cannot come:
Call the community service project.
Call us at the probation service office.
We can ask you for proof that you are sick or absent, for example a note from a doctor. We can also require you to go to a doctor.
We can come and check whether you are sick. Are you lodging somewhere else? Please let us know this.
Is there a different reason why you cannot go to work? Ask us then for permission. If you have received permission, tell this to your supervisor or contact person at the community service project.
Have you not worked some hours? You must then make them up. Even if you have not worked because you were ill.

3. Rules on alcohol and drugs

You may not use alcohol or drugs at work, nor may you take them along.
You must not be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs during the community service.

4. If you do not obey the rules

· You have not obeyed the rules? You will then receive a warning.

You have not obeyed the rules for the second time? We will then decide that you must stop your community service.
In some situations you must stop your community service immediately, without a warning:
If you threaten, frighten or bully someone. Or if you are aggressive.
If you take along alcohol, drugs or weapons.
If you want to give someone money in order to work fewer hours of community service.
If you do something that is punishable during the community service project. In that case we always report this to the police.
Have we decided that you must stop your community service? We will then let the Public Prosecution Service know that your community service has failed. The consequence can be that the judicial authorities will decide that you must go to prison.

5. When and where do you do community service?

You do the community service at the place, times and on the days we determine for you. We may require you to take days’ holiday for your work.
We determine to which community service project you go. That can be a project to which you must travel: the law provides that travel time may be 3 hours at most per day.
The community service project receives information from us about you that is necessary for the community service. You give permission for this.

6. What must you let us know?

Is there a reason why you cannot do your community service? Then call us immediately.
Has something important changed in your life? Are you for example going to move house or work somewhere else? Or will you be living somewhere else temporarily? Then let us know that.

7. What must you arrange before you start your community service?

You must see to it yourself that you have health care insurance. Do you have medical expenses during the community service? You must then pay them yourself. We arrange accident insurance and liability insurance which are valid during the community service.
Do you receive benefit? The organization that pays your benefit will want to know that you have to do community service. Let the organization know this before your community service starts. What if you do not let them know? And what if the organization asks us questions about this? We may then tell them that you are doing community service.
Are you incapacitated for work, or are you partly incapacitated for work? Then ask the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) for a list of the types of work you may indeed do. Give us the list.

8. If you do not agree with us

Do you not agree with a decision of ours? You can then file a complaint. As long as the complaints procedure is running, you must simply carry out the work punishment according to agreement and within the term. This means that your last date does not change. Ask your contact person at the probation service how to file a complaint. You can find more information on our website.We deal carefully with your personal data. The rules we have to obey are contained in our privacy regulations. You can request them from your contact person at the probation service.

Client portal

Did you know that the probation service also has a client portal? Here you can view a part of your own file.

To the client portal