Advantages and Disadvantages of Community Service as Punishment

What is the punishment for someone who commits a crime? Apparently, many forms of punishment have been tried and tested over the centuries. In modern times, there are three forms of punishment for people who commit crimes or break the law. These three forms of punishment are prison sentence, community sentence, and restorative justice. Of course, they all involve some form of deprivation of liberty. This aims to reduce the rate of recidivism or re-offending.

Community Service as Punishment

As one form of punishment, community sentence, more commonly known as community service, focuses more on the community and giving back what has been taken by the offender. Well, in this article, we will discuss what community service is and what are the advantages and disadvantages of community service as a punishment.

Also Read: 6 Biggest Myths About Jail

Definition of Community Service

Community service is well known as one of the modes of punishment. Basically, community services or community sentences are different from prison sentences. We can define community sentences as the process of punishing someone who has committed a crime or committed an offense by having them make contributions to society through unpaid activities. So, simply, community services are doing unpaid activities for committing an offense.

If a person commits a crime that is not too serious, and a prison sentence is deemed unnecessary, then usually a judge will impose a community sentence on the offender. Aside from that, first-time offenders will also usually receive a community sentence instead of a prison sentence. This also applies if the offender is relatively young. Most likely, a relatively young offender will be sentenced to a community sentence as a form of warning.

In community sentencing a curfew is usually imposed. The offenders must adhere to the time set by the court or judge. If the offenders do not abide by the rules that have been given, then they run the risk of returning to court and worse potentially getting a prison sentence. Also, they will likely be required to attend meetings with supervisors and attend a program related to the crime committed. In addition, they will also have restrictions on which areas they can visit.

Some examples of crimes that may result in community sentence include:

    • Theft
    • Property damage
    • Shoplifting
    • Drink driving
    • Minor assault

If an individual commits any of the above crimes, they will be subject to community sentence. However, despite receiving a community sentence, if that individual repeatedly commits the crime, then another form of punishment is likely to be imposed, such as imprisonment.

Types of Community Service

Crime certainly affects the well-being of the community. Therefore, community sentences aim to fix crime by requiring offenders to contribute to society by performing unpaid activities. Here, a judge has the right or authority to order a minor offender to perform community service in lieu of other penalties such as fines, probation, or incarceration. Usually, the court will also consider whether a person has other commitments, such as employment, and set the community sentence based on those commitments.

Here are some types of community sentences:

    • Unpaid work
    • House arrest
    • Curfew requirements
    • Restrictions on where the offenders can go
    • Cleaning up community areas such as removing graffiti, picking up trash and building decoration
    • Therapy programs such as Anger Management Therapy and Drug or alcohol abuse treatment

Advantages of Community Service as Punishment

It seems that community sentences have both advantages and disadvantages. So, what are the advantages of community sentences? Check out the explanation below.

    • Community sentences offer individuals who commit crimes the opportunity to atone for the crimes they have committed. Many people view community sentences as a second chance to make amends and a warning not to commit such crimes. Misdemeanor offenders are not immediately incarcerated, but they will be given opportunities and asked to contribute to community activities. In essence, the offender is still punished, but the punishment is in the form of unpaid activities.
    • Community sentences often benefit society through the services or activities performed by the offenders. As we know, the types of community sentences include graffiti removal, litter picking and decorating buildings for events, which are all activities that benefit the community. In addition, community sentences also offer additional assistance to the offenders who want to improve their expertise and skills or need help getting a job.
    • One of the advantages of community sentencing is also related to the cost. In fact, most of the programs held in community sentences cost less than incarceration in prison. If the offenders are asked to do community service, then they will live in their own house and eat with their own money. In contrast, if the offenders are incarcerated, there will be expenses for their food. And, if the offenders are given the opportunity to live in the community, they will also be able to find work to support themselves and their family members. Well, with the money they earn from working, they will be able to compensate the victim or the victim’s family who have been harmed.
    • The advantage of community service is a reduction in the number of inmates. This Community Service is very effective in reducing the density of inmates in jails or prisons. The offenders of crimes are punished by having to carry out various community activities. They are also given the opportunity to complete drug programs, boot camps, or other things. Of course, this is especially beneficial if the jail or prison is overcrowded. By not having offenders stay in prison, and allowing them to serve community sentences, overcrowding in prisons can be overcome and a certain amount of money can also be saved.
    • The fifth advantage of community service is that the therapy program is very flexible and beneficial. The offenders will be ordered to participate in therapy programs such as Anger Management Therapy and drug or alcohol abuse treatment. After carrying out this therapy, it is hoped that the offenders related to assault and drug and alcohol abuse will be able to realize their mistakes and promise not to repeat their mistakes. Aside from that, therapy programs carried out during community sentences are also useful in improving their attitudes and behavior. In essence, by carrying out a therapy program, it is hoped that the offenders will become better people than before.
    • Community service is known as a softer version of punishment. By carrying out community service as a punishment, at least the offenders will be able to feel appreciated and respected. They will not feel shy and get a pain living behind the bars. They will also consider that community sentences as a strong warning so that they will regret their mistakes and leave their bad actions.

Disadvantages of Community Service as Punishment

Now that you have learned some advantages of community services as punishment. Now, you may be curious to know the disadvantages of it. In the text below, you can find out some of the disadvantages of community services as punishment.

    • The disadvantage of community service as punishment is that the offenders are still allowed to be in public with the community so that the community safety may be threatened. The offenders may threaten the community who have caused them to be punished. If the offenders are not imprisoned and are allowed to walk freely, the community is not sure they will not commit crimes again. Of course, this will cause public anxiety and unrest.
    • For offenders, if they are ordered to do Community Service as punishment, they may have to incur a greater amount of expenses as some of them may be allowed to live outside the facility and live in their own homes. Sometimes, this case will be difficult for poor offenders, especially those who do not have a job. People will also not want to give them jobs so they will have difficulty earning an income, and in the end, it is feared that they will commit new crimes such as theft.
    • One of the other disadvantages of community sentences is that the offenders do not comply with the punishment given. According to research, many people are carrying out community services but they do not comply with the established rules or regulations. For example, the offenders do not comply with the given curfew or the offenders do not come to court when asked. This proves that community sentences have no effect on the offenders.
    • As we know that community service as punishment is considered a lighter punishment. For the offenders, this form of punishment is an advantage because they use the punishment as a warning not to make mistakes again. However, other offenders do not think so. They even underestimate the community sentences given. Until in the end the offenders continued to commit crimes.
    • According to the Ministry of Justice, community sentences have a recidivism rate of around 34 percent. From the survey group, the offenders who had been given community orders had a 34 percent rate of reoffending within 12 months of starting their community sentence. Of course, this number is quite high. Therefore, we can conclude that community sentences are not the ideal punishment to reduce reoffending rates.

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