Being a service worker, rules, rights and obligations apply to you; therefore, it is important to dedicate a portion of your time to read these instructions.
Community service is an alternative for an active imprisonment and is given as a privilege to the accused, in order to prevent his stay behind bars.
This privilege is not granted to the accused in its totality. It can be revoked at any point, in case the accused cannot do what is expected of him in order to exercise this privilege.
An accused person that wishes to serve his sentence in community service must accept a burden of responsibility that accompanies this special punishment, and perform his job as defined by his superiors, without violating the rules.
1. General
A. The fact that you are serving your sentence as established by the court by means of community service is a privilege. You have been given an opportunity to serve your sentence and almost continue your regular life (except for work hours).
B. The practical expression of serving a sentence through community service is primarily the public good; therefore you shall be assigned to a work place (i.e. the employer) in a public institution or a state institution.
C. The end of your sentence as established by the court is conditioned by a lack of absence of any kind and by your positive performance throughout the entire period.
D. In the work place where you will be assigned, there will be a supervision by the employer as well as a supervisor from the IPS, that will be holding surprise visitations in order to examine your attendance and performance.
E. Begin and end your work at the time determined by the supervisor – no crediting shall be done for arriving early or leaving late.
F. Should you be invited to an investigation at the Supervisor's offices, this day shall not be counted as a day of community service.
G. You are to arrive every day to the work place on time and work according to instructions, work days and work hours, as they have been determined for you.
H. Any form of absence from the work place for any reason whatsoever, including absence approved by the supervisor, shall mean additional days or hours.
I. Should you be required to serve in the reserves, you are to report to the supervisor – these days do not diminish the amount of required workdays.
J. Documents from the supervisor shall be transferred to the address provided by you – not withdrawing a document shall be counted as receiving it.
L. Leaving the country for any purpose whatsoever is strictly forbidden, unless you have received the authorization of the court, after receiving a recommendation from the supervisor.
M. During national or regional emergencies, you are to contact the supervisor in order to receive directions and instructions.
2. Reporting
A. You are to report immediately to the supervisor and the employer with regards to any change in your personal information, your address and / or the phone numbers you provided.
B. Report to the supervisor any conviction and / or sentence that have been given during the period in which you are serving your sentence as soon as possible after such verdicts have been given.
C. During the serving period you are to report immediately to the inspector with regards to any change in your medical condition.
3. The work place / attendance and supervision
A. The employer you shall be directed to assists you in serving your sentence, and therefore it is important to obey the rules of the place.
You must maintain any safety rules while working.
B. Upon arriving to the work place you shall be interviewed by the employer – you are to arrive on time and with an I.D.
C. Should the employer refuse to accept you or delays your acceptance, you are obliged to report this immediately to the supervisor.
D. Should the supervisor decide to transfer you to another employer, you shall be employed according to the work hours customary at the other work place.
E. Any absence from the work place (such as: disease, reserves, mourning etc., obliges you to inform the supervisor and receive his approval should your absence be approved, you are to issue the appropriate approvals and present them to the supervisor. (Additional days are obligatory for any absence).
F. The attendance card is a certification of your presence at the work place, and therefore it is important to print the card every day.
It is illegal to sign the card in handwriting and no records can be erased from it.
G. You are obliged to punch an attendance card at the beginning and end of every workday;
For your advisement, punching in after the actual day is a criminal offence.
H. Not punching in at the beginning and end of the work day shall be considered as if you had not worked at all at that day.
I. Arriving late and / or leaving early from work shall be approved only by the supervisor – the missing hours shall be compensated for.
J. Should you be late to your work place, the employer may not accept you for that day – this day shall not be counted as a work day.
K. It is strictly forbidden to leave to work place during work hours; should you be required to leave as a part of your work – leaving the workplace is conditioned by the approval of the supervisor, and you may exit only when accompanied by a representative of the employer.
L. You must not invite friends or visitors to the workplace.
M. It is forbidden to maintain a business or social relationship with the employer or with any of his employees, including persons who are connected to the employer.
N. It is forbidden to donate your money or possession to the workplace.
O. It is forbidden to use your personal vehicle for the employer or any personal work instruments at the workplace.
4. Rights
A. You are entitled to one free day a week, as well as holidays and sabbaticals according to your religion. (Five workdays).
B. You are entitled to receive an approval (one per period) for the remainder of you service workdays – the approval is not an indication of the end of the sentence.
C. On holiday weekdays and during strikes, you are entitled to ask the supervisor to transfer you to a different workplace.
D. Should an administrative leave be decided upon, you shall receive 7 days to submit a court petition against this decision.
E. Should you be summoned to a hearing due to a violation of the rules – you are entitled to arrive at the hearing with an attorney.
F. At the end of your sentence, you are entitled to receive an approval indication the end of your sentence by community service. You are entitled to a formal approval from the social security supervisor.
G. A service worker is ensured through a volunteer insurance that assures the rights of service workers to receive compensations from national security in case of an injury during the serving of you sentence, or on the way to (and back from) work.
For your attention
For your information, the IPS commissioner may decide to terminate your work and the remainder of your sentence shall be served in prison, from the following reasons:
- Absence from work without the approval of the supervisor.
- Negligence in performing the work or the behavior at the workplace is not satisfying.
- Violating a condition from the service work conditions determined by the court with regards to the specific case.
- Disobeying an instruction by the supervisor or failing to uphold an obligation that is mandatory for a service worker.
- A questioning has began or a suspicion of foul play.
6. We hope that you shall adhere to the rules specified above in order to serve your sentence as required and wish you the best of luck.
7. I hereby approve that the rules and guidelines for a service worker and I agree and commit to work under these rules. I hereby approve that I have received a copy of this document.
Remember! You have been given a chance to contribute and operate for society – your actions shall bring you closer and your actions shall drive you further.
Details of the supervisor __________________ Telephone _____________
Name of service worker ________________
Signature _____________ Date _________
For the supervisor unit for community service click here