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 Public Service Office is open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

A parent or legal guardian, a copy of your Social Security card and the referral from the Court.

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

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

Yes. Work must be completed at a non-profit agency. You will simply have to provide verification of your completed hours on that agency's letterhead.

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.

The Public Service office will be responsible for reporting all hours to Court.

We request that all Public Service hours be completed 10 days prior to your scheduled Court date. This allows time for the Court to review your case.