An offender is ordered by the Court to complete a specific number of community service restitution hours.  This individual will then set an initial appointment with the community service restitution coordinator.  At this meeting, the client will sign a community service placement in the component.  The community service restitution coordinator will then place the individual with a specific not-for-profit agency that can best utilize the skills/abilities of the individual.  The community service coordinator then keeps in contact with that agency regarding the client's placement and progress.

An offender is ordered by the Court to complete a specific number of community service restitution hours.  This individual will then set an initial appointment with the community service restitution coordinator.  At this meeting, the client will sign a work crew contract outlining all rules associated with his/her placement in the component.  The supervision of the individuals placed in this component is provided by the work crew supervisor.  The community service restitution coordinator will then place the individual on specific work days prearranged with the work crew supervisor.  The service coordinator keeps in contact with the work crew supervisor regarding the client' placement.  the work crews perform various projects throughout the year.  Some projects include roadside cleanup, cemetery restoration/cleanup, community park cleanup, snow removal, covered bridge restoration/cleanup, and sidewalk construction and repair.

An offender placed in this component shall serve a specified period of time that is determined by the Court.  The Court and the offender shall sign an order of home detention. When the offender is hooked up, the offender will then sign a home detention contract outlining all rules associated with his/her placement in the component.  All clients in this component are placed on electronic monitoring.  Random home and employment checks are performed by the home detention/surveillance officer.  These visits are unannounced and may be at any time of the day or night.  All clients are required to be employed.  If they are not employed, they may be required to perform community service restitution on a weekly basis.

The program staff will review all referral requests and determine the appropriateness of the juvenile.  The staff will meet with the juvenile and the parent(s)/guardian(s) to explain the rules and policies associated with the program.  Each will then sign a contract outlining all rules associated with his/her placement in the component.  All participants will be supervised at all times by Putnam County Community Corrections staff.  The juveniles will spend half a day in an educational component and half a day completing work crew projects within the county.  Both phases of the day address anger control, behavior management/modification, as well as teaching to accept responsibility for their actions and to learn to deal with the consequences associated with inappropriate behavior.  Daily progress reports will be completed and the juvenile's school will receive information regarding their conduct in the component.  Work crew supervisors will maintain continuous contact with organizations within the county in order to continue to provide appropriate work-sites.

Thinking for a Change (T4C) uses a combination of approaches to increase offenders' awareness of self and others.  This deepened attentiveness to attitudes, beliefs, feelings and thinking patterns is combined with explicit teaching of interpersonal skills relevant to the offenders' present and future needs.  The philosophy of the program endorses that offenders should be empowered to be responsible for changing their own problem behavior.  T4C integrates problem solving skills with cognitive restructuring skills and social skills.