Virginia often uses community service as an alternative to incarceration for people who've been convicted of reckless driving. If you're told to complete community service by the court, you'll be provided with an order that explains the next steps.
Completing Your Community Service Hours
In many cases, the court will order community service to be completed through the court's community corrections department. You'll need to contact the department to make sure the community service you want to do will fulfill the terms of the court’s order. The community corrections office may partner with specific agencies to provide community service opportunities or require supervision and formal verification of your hours.
If you're not referred to the court's community corrections department, your community service must still be for a recognized nonprofit organization. This can include nationally recognized charitable groups such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, or Goodwill as well as local organizations such as a food bank or homeless shelter. You can't under any circumstances volunteer at a for-profit business and use the hours as your court-mandated community service.
It is best to check with your attorney before you make plans to begin your community service hours. While volunteering is always a noble endeavor, it's important to make sure your hours can actually be used for their intended purpose so you're not forced to complete them twice.
Offering to Complete Community Service
If you're not ordered to complete community service by the court, volunteering to do so before your case is heard by the judge can be a good way to express remorse for your actions. Judges are often more likely to be lenient with offenders who show this type of initiative, but you'll want to explore this option further with your attorney to determine if it's the most effective use of your time.
T. Kevin Wilson Can Help
Reckless driving is a criminal offense, not a simple traffic ticket. A conviction carries hefty fines, the possibility of jail time, and the stigma of a criminal record. Don't simply pay your ticket and hope for the best. To learn more about your options, call today to schedule a free, no-obligation initial case review with Virginia reckless driving attorney T. Kevin Wilson.
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