Difference between revisions of "Community Service Procedure"

Latest revision as of 16:00, 26 February 2014

This page details how to determine whether a prospective COURT ORDERED community service volunteer should be allowed to spend time at Free Geek. This does NOT apply to students doing community service for school. Students are regular volunteers whose hours we mark as "school". These instructions are intended to aid those at the front desk when faced with a person who needs to complete court ordered community service hours and would like to do so at Free Geek.

Public Services (currently Darren Heiber) is who you should point questions to.

General Goals

Free Geek is a good place for people to gain job skills, contribute to their local community, meet positive people, and possibly turn their lives around. While part of our goal is to provide opportunities for empowerment and growth, we also want to protect our volunteers. We welcome people who need to complete community service, as long as they are legally able to be around children, have not been convicted of theft or any violent crimes, or have a restraining order against them from someone that volunteers or works at Free Geek. We do not discriminate against court appointed community service workers.

Free Geek cannot accept court-mandated volunteers whose offense(s) have to do with: theft, ID theft, violence, sexual offenses or restraining orders.

The Basics for All Court Community Service Volunteers

Give a copy of the Community Service Information Sheet to ALL volunteers inquiring about doing Court Community Service with us. Invite them to connect with the Free Geek Community Service Liaison (currently Darren Heiber).

If someone is not an active volunteer, please ask them to take an orientation tour first at 11 AM or 4 PM.

Community Service volunteers are responsible for bringing their court order, referral form, community service agreement or program agreement to us. We can make a copy of the original here if thy need us to. This paperwork will need to include their case number, their offense, the county they are completing their hours through, the name of the judge, the number of hours they need, and when they need them by.

Free Geek cannot accept volunteers who have a restraining order for someone who does or may, possibly, volunteer at Free Geek. As we have volunteers from much of the greater community, anyone who lives within ~40 miles of Free Geek would qualify as a possible volunteer.

Community Service FAQ

May I earn a free computer?
- Yes, but only AFTER you have completed your community service hours for the courts. Court community service hours do NOT count toward earning a computer.

How do I record my hours?
- It is your responsibility to accurately report your hours to the front desk at the end of each shift you work and indicate they are for COURT. You may ask how many hours you have at any time.

I'm already a volunteer. Can I use the hours I've already earned for court?
- Unfortunately, the courts will not accept hours earned previous to the date your community service was assigned to you. You may only count hours toward court AFTER:

You have notified the front desk you are doing community service, AND
You have provided a copy of your court order or referral paper that shows you have not engaged in any prohibited activities (such as theft or violence).

When I've finished my hours, how do I turn them in to the court?
- It is YOUR responsibility to ensure you get your hours turned in on time. Contact us 2 business days (Tuesday through Saturday) before your hours are due:
  - Multnomah County Court volunteers: After hearing from you, the Free Geek Community Service Liaison will print out your hours and verify them according to the requirements of the court. You must pick up these hours in person and deliver them to court by your deadline.
  - Washington County Court volunteers: After hearing from you, the Free Geek Community Service Liaison will complete the timesheet and fax your form to Washington County. Be sure and tell us to do so BEFORE your deadline.

Staff Procedure

For All Courts

Give a copy of the Community Service Info Sheet to ALL volunteers inquiring about doing Court Community Service with us. Then connect them with the Free Geek Community Service liaison (currently Darren Heiber).
After screening, enter the following data in the "Notes" field of the database, for each court community service worker:

Note hours are for court-mandated community service ("CS")
County (& State, if not Oregon)
Case number and name of Judge (name of Judge optional)
Number of hours required
Deadline
Anything noteworthy - special instructions, limited areas they can work, etc.
Your name

Example: "CS; needs 40 hours by 01/01/2015; Multnomah County Case #111111; Judge Smith; met with Sarah on 01/01/01."

Multnomah County

(this section not recently fact-checked --Mkille 01:17, 7 March 2013 (UTC))

Community Court = Karen Clark @ 503.988.4993
Department of Community Justice (ACS Intake) = Donica Addy @ 503.988.3007 (press "1" then "27025#").
Clean Slate = Joe Nunn @ 503.244.5794 x 257
Circuit Court = the individual judge or parole officer (PO).
When hours are complete:
- Note in database: 1) that hours are complete, and 2) date volunteer may begin earning a computer.
- Complete the County-specific time sheet and and place a Multnomah county sticker on this sheet (this is the only sheet the County needs.)
- Please keep court paperwork on file for 6 months.
- CS volunteers are responsible for returning their own paperwork to the court.

Washington County

Contact: Bernadine Evenson.
- Bernadine will send the referral forms (time sheets) directly to Free Geek. These referral forms are not to be given to the volunteer. We fax the referral form back to Washington County directly.
When volunteer signs up for court mandated community service:
- Check the Community Service file for the referral form with their name on it
- Obtain papers from the community service volunteer
- If we do not have a referral form with the volunteer's name on it, the volunteer is responsible for having Washington County fax, mail or email the referral form to Free Geek
When hours are complete:
- Verify all are complete in database & marked as court
- Complete form and fax to Washington county
- Wait for fax report and staple to paperwork as proof of date sent
- File paperwork
- Note in database: 1) that hours are complete, and 2) date volunteer may begin earning a computer
Other:
- Please keep all paperwork from Washington Co. until due date
- CS volunteer can complete volunteer hours on the due date

Other Courts

FYI: It is not FG's job to write letters or take on extra work due to unique court requirements.

Treat this as case by case, it is up to you to accommodate and work with other courts.
Meet with these volunteers to find out what is required of them, and of us.
Many other courts request a letter detailing proof of volunteering with us, on our letterhead. If you chose to work with them:
- Ask the volunteer to craft the contents of this letter, including all necessary components for the court
- You then transfer it to our letterhead and sign.
- Volunteers from Other Courts are responsible for preparing (with your help) and delivering their paperwork
When hours are complete:
- Verify all are complete in database & marked as court
- Provide necessary documents to volunteer for them to deliver
- Note in database: 1) that hours are complete, and 2) date volunteer may begin earning a computer.

Front Desk's Responsibilities

Read all NOTES sections before entering hours.
Mark all court community service hours ("CS" hours) as COURT in the database.
Ensure accurate data entry. Repeat back to the volunteer the amount of hours you are entering, for confirmation.
Be sure to hit "Save" so the hours are logged.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-This page details how to determine whether a prospective community service volunteer should be allowed to spend time at Free Geek.  These instructions are intended to aid those at the front desk when faced with a person who needs to complete community service hours and would like to do so at Free Geek.
+This page details how to determine whether a prospective <b>COURT ORDERED</b> community service volunteer should be allowed to spend time at Free Geek. This does NOT apply to students doing community service for school.  Students are regular volunteers whose hours we mark as "school". These instructions are intended to aid those at the front desk when faced with a person who needs to complete <b>court ordered</b> community service hours and would like to do so at Free Geek.
-The [[HR]] committee is who you should point questions to.
+Public Services (currently Darren Heiber) is who you should point questions to.
-'''Note: volunteers working at Free Geek for community service credit cannot earn double hours.'''
+==General Goals==
+Free Geek is a good place for people to gain job skills, contribute to their local community, meet positive people, and possibly turn their lives around.  While part of our goal is to provide opportunities for empowerment and growth, we also want to protect our volunteers. We welcome people who need to complete community service, as long as they are legally able to be around children, have not been convicted of theft or any violent crimes, or have a restraining order against them from someone that volunteers or works at Free Geek. We do not discriminate against court appointed community service workers.
+Free Geek cannot accept court-mandated volunteers whose offense(s) have to do with: theft, ID theft, violence, sexual offenses or restraining orders.
+==The Basics for All Court Community Service Volunteers==
+* Give a copy of the [[Media:Comm_svc_info_sheet.odt|Community Service Information Sheet]] to ALL volunteers inquiring about doing Court Community Service with us. Invite them to connect with the Free Geek Community Service Liaison (currently Darren Heiber).
-==General Goals==
+* If someone is not an active volunteer, please ask them to take an orientation tour first at 11 AM or 4 PM.
-Free Geek is a good place for people who've been down on their luck to gain good job skills, meet positive people, and possibly turn their lives around.  While part of our goal is to provide opportunities for empowerment and growth, we also want to protect our volunteers and our more valuable gizmos from assault, harassment, and theft.  Because of these two goals, we welcome people who need to complete community service, but only if we can be sure they won't mess with our volunteers or our stuff.
+* Community Service volunteers are responsible for bringing their court order, referral form, community service agreement or program agreement to us. We can make a copy of the original here if thy need us to. This paperwork will need to include their case number, their offense, the county they are completing their hours through, the name of the judge, the number of hours they need, and when they need them by.
+* Free Geek cannot accept volunteers who have a restraining order for someone who does or may, possibly, volunteer at Free Geek. As we have volunteers from much of the greater community, anyone who lives within ~40 miles of Free Geek would qualify as a possible volunteer.
+===Community Service FAQ===
-==Multnomah County Community Court==
+* ''May I earn a free computer?''
-Contact person is Karen , phone number 503-988-4993.  Elizabeth is our contact person for Karen.  Karen may request proof of their people actually working.  Just look them up in data base and give the general information.  If she wants detailed information, contact Elizabeth or (Kathie as back-up) or direct her to them.
+** Yes, but only AFTER you have completed your community service hours for the courts. Court community service hours do NOT count toward earning a computer.
-We often get people from this court.  These people tend to need about 16 hours of volunteer time, and have been convicted of very minor crimes.  The court does not allow those who have been convicted of theft to come to Free Geek.
-Since they're only here for 16 hours, and we know they're probably not going to mess with our people or stuff, it's not really worth it to spend too much time figuring out what to do with them.
+* ''How do I record my hours?''
+** It is your responsibility to accurately report your hours to the front desk at the end of each shift you work and indicate they are for COURT. You may ask how many hours you have at any time.
-===What to do===
+* ''I'm already a volunteer.  Can I use the hours I've already earned for court?''
-Go ahead and just let these people straight in.  They usually call on the phone - once you've established that they're from Multnomah County Community Court, tell them these things:
+** Unfortunately, the courts will not accept hours earned previous to the date your community service was assigned to you. You may only count hours toward court AFTER:
-# Come down for the tour, get into the system as a 'general volunteer', and sign up for thier first shift (pretty much like any regular volunteer).
+# You have notified the front desk you are doing community service, AND
-# Come in for their shifts, log their hours, and sign up for their next shift.  Repeat until all their hours are done. Any court community service volunteers are not eligible for double time.
+# You have provided a copy of your court order or referral paper that shows you have not engaged in any prohibited activities (such as theft or violence).
-# When they're done with their hours, they should have the person at the front desk print out their hours.  Then they need to find a staff-person (Shawn's the best choice if she's available), who will be able to put the special, required-by-the-court-or-else-they-don't-get-any-credit, '''sticker''' on the back of their time sheet. There are some stickers at the front desk in small file cabinet.
-#Note:  they do not get "double" time any activity.
+* ''When I've finished my hours, how do I turn them in to the court?''
+** It is YOUR responsibility to ensure you get your hours turned in on time. Contact us 2 business days (Tuesday through Saturday) before your hours are due:
+*** Multnomah County Court volunteers: After hearing from you, the Free Geek Community Service Liaison will print out your hours and verify them according to the requirements of the court. You must pick up these hours in person and deliver them to court by your deadline.
+*** Washington County Court volunteers: After hearing from you, the Free Geek Community Service Liaison will complete the timesheet and fax your form to Washington County. Be sure and tell us to do so BEFORE your deadline.
-You're done!
+==Staff Procedure==
+===For All Courts===
+* Give a copy of the Community Service Info Sheet to ALL volunteers inquiring about doing Court Community Service with us. Then connect them with the Free Geek Community Service liaison (currently Darren Heiber).
+* After screening, enter the following data in the "Notes" field of the database, for each court community service worker:
+# Note hours are for court-mandated community service ("CS")
+# County (& State, if not Oregon)
+# Case number and name of Judge (name of Judge optional)
+# Number of hours required
+# Deadline
+# Anything noteworthy - special instructions, limited areas they can work, etc.
+# Your name
-==Other Courts==
+Example:  "CS; needs 40 hours by 01/01/2015; Multnomah County Case #111111; Judge Smith; met with Sarah on 01/01/01."
-'''First''', ask these four questions:
+===Multnomah County===
-# Do you have a history of theft?
-# Do you have a history of violence against people or things?
-# Do you have any stalking orders against you?
-# Can you be around children?
-Notice that these questions skate around what the community service volunteer did to get the service assigned to them in court (we're not allowed to ask what they were convicted of, I don't think).  They also ask about their history, because sometimes an isolated charge is no reason for alarm, but continued charges should raise a red flag.  Additionally, if being around children will violate their parole, they can't come here, as children help out at Free Geek often.
+(this section not recently fact-checked --[[User:Mkille|Mkille]] 01:17, 7 March 2013 (UTC))
-If at all possible, these questions should be asked as discreetly as possible. You may ask the perspective volunteer to wait until other people have signed up, so that you can ask them these questions alone. Even if someone has been sent to Free Geek for a totally harmless offense, such as riding the MAX without a ticket, being singled out in front of a group might make them understandably discouraged about volunteering at Free Geek.
+* Community Court = Karen Clark @ 503.988.4993
+* Department of Community Justice (ACS Intake) = Donica Addy @ 503.988.3007 (press "1" then "27025#").
+* Clean Slate = Joe Nunn @ 503.244.5794 x 257
+* Circuit Court = the individual judge or parole officer (PO).
+* When hours are complete:
+** Note in database: 1) that hours are complete, and 2) date volunteer may begin earning a computer.
+** Complete the County-specific time sheet and and place a Multnomah county sticker on this sheet (this is the only sheet the County needs.)
+**Please keep court paperwork on file for 6 months.
+**CS volunteers are responsible for returning their own paperwork to the court.
-If the prospective volunteer's answers to the above questions are satisfactory (No, no, no, and yes, or - in very rare cases - they seem very upstanding and trustworthy despite the fact that they've done something stupid once), and they've taken the tour, they can volunteer here.  But first we need some information.
+===Washington County===
+* Contact: Bernadine Evenson.
+** Bernadine will send the referral forms (time sheets) directly to Free Geek. These referral forms are '''not''' to be given to the volunteer. We fax the referral form back to Washington County directly.
+* When volunteer signs up for court mandated community service:
+** Check the Community Service file for the referral form with their name on it
+** Obtain papers from the community service volunteer
+** If we do not have a referral form with the volunteer's name on it, the volunteer is responsible for having Washington County fax, mail or email the referral form to Free Geek
+* When hours are complete:
+** Verify all are complete in database & marked as court
+** Complete form and fax to Washington county
+** Wait for fax report and staple to paperwork as proof of date sent
+** File paperwork
+** Note in database: 1) that hours are complete, and 2) date volunteer may begin earning a computer
+*Other:
+**Please keep all paperwork from Washington Co. until due date
+**CS volunteer can complete volunteer hours on the due date
-'''Second''', send the following in an email to the HR committee "hr [at] freegeek [dot] org":
+===Other Courts===
+'''FYI: It is not FG's job to write letters or take on extra work due to unique court requirements.'''
-* Volunteer's name
+* Treat this as case by case, it is up to you to accommodate and work with other courts.
-* Phone number
+* Meet with these volunteers to find out what is required of them, and of us.
-* Email
+* Many other courts request a letter detailing proof of volunteering with us, on our letterhead. If you chose to work with them:
-* County/court
+** Ask the volunteer to craft the contents of this letter, including all necessary components for the court
-* Parole officer/representative (someone we can contact if there's a problem)
+** You then transfer it to our letterhead and sign.
-* Representative's contact information
+** Volunteers from Other Courts are responsible for preparing (with your help) and delivering their paperwork
+* When hours are complete:
+** Verify all are complete in database & marked as court
+** Provide necessary documents to volunteer for them to deliver
+** Note in database: 1) that hours are complete, and 2) date volunteer may begin earning a computer.
-==FreekBox Adoption==
+===Front Desk's Responsibilities===
-Those who are completing community service as a punishment (i.e. court ordered community service) cannot count their community service hours towards a freekbox.  After they're done with their court ordered time, they may earn hours towards a freekbox.  This does not apply to, for example, kids or young adults completing time at Free Geek for school credit.
+* Read all NOTES sections before entering hours.
+* Mark all court community service hours ("CS" hours) as COURT in the database.
+* Ensure accurate data entry. Repeat back to the volunteer the amount of hours you are entering, for confirmation.
+* Be sure to hit "Save" so the hours are logged.
 [[Category:Volunteer]]
 [[Category:Procedures]]
+[[Category:Volunteer Desk]]
+[[Category: Needed Policy]]