I was thinking the other day about community service. Criminals are arrested and made to do community service, but instead of getting them to do something worthwhile, they are made to paint railings endlessly. Why not put these people’s time into something worthwhile, which may, in the end make them into responsible members of society. It is said that most people, particularly young people, commit crimes because of low self-worth and boredom. If we, as a society were to give them a means to improve this, then surely they would not end up back in the same position, or worse, in prison.
We need to take responsibility for our repeating criminals, and help them to find a purpose in life. We need to show them the meaning of true satisfaction. After all, what satisfaction is there in painting railings, which are to be torn down the following week. This merely serves to demoralise them even further, and creates the mindset of “Why bother?”.
If we want to reduce crime, then we need to find community service jobs that give people some sense of achievement, otherwise they will feel as if they are only good for one thing. Ineffective community service is just as bad as putting someone in jail. It is a contradiction. Community service is supposed to make criminals take responsibility for their actions, and make them pay back to society for their crimes. Painting something that is to be torn down the following week is not a service to society.
Litter picking, reading to the old and infirm, renovating people’s houses who can’t afford to have it done and are desperate. That is a community service.
All the while that community service is ineffective, as it is now, we may as well give up on it and throw people in jail at the first crime, because until they feel some self worth, which could be taught by community service, they will end up back in court again and again.
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