Frequently Asked Questions

The Illinois State Legislature passed the Community Service Bill into law in 1979. This law created a sentencing option for Illinois Judges to impose a number of hours of free labor as a community sanction for various misdemeanor, traffic and felony crimes. Lake County's program was begun in 1979-1980.

The Illinois Law allows for all probational offenders to have, as part of their sentence, some hours of public service. The Lake County program provides services for City Ordinance violators, misdemeanor, traffic and felony offenders.

The public service office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

They should bring in an interpreter and we do have a Spanish speaking coordinator who can assist Spanish speaking defendants.

No, you must come into the office and go through our intake process.

No, you do not need an appointment. We take walk-ins.

No. If you live in Lake County, you must go to a contracted site in our program, unless the judge orders otherwise.

Yes, you can, but you must report to our office for the intake process. We will then transfer your case to the appropriate county in which you reside.

You would have to go back to court. It is the judge's decision as to whether to convert public service hours to a fine.

All of our sites are not-for-profit organizations or a unit of government.

Most of our work sites require cleaning or maintenance work, but there is limited clerical work available.