Community Service

Mistreating pets or having the wrong percentage of tint for a car are offences that would land an individual in trouble with the law. However, according to a new proposal, such mistakes would require offenders to be penalised with community service. It helps return something to the community that has suffered at the hands of these wrongdoers. And sometimes prison might not produce the best results. So, community service functions as a positive rehabilitation process. But, would this be effective in the long run? Could people learn to be more responsible by participating in community activities?

Community service fosters a sense of responsibility in offenders.

Community service creates the feeling of repentance. I think for minor crimes it serves a good purpose. It is justifiable to give minor offenders a punishment and at the same time to behave well with them. The thought of punishment can be replaced by the fact that one learns a lesson. This lesson might establish good morale and responsibility in offenders.
Farhana Zaman
Dubai

Community service is an opportunity. It will make people more courteous. Minor offenders should be treated differently as their psychology is entirely different from others. They require counselling at a personal level. The society is a mixture of different people with different character and taste. Giving responsibility also helps people be self-reliable.
Ramachandran Nair
Ruwi, Oman

Community service will help in moulding the character of offenders and make them realise the importance of social service. I believe it will also help them get accustomed to reality as long as the services imposed are relevant to what or who they have offended. Some people are unaware of social ethics. Social service will help them realise what they have done.
Albert Gayo
Dubai
Community service is appropriate if it is a minor offence. A few hours of service might make an individual more responsible. It might open their eyes to a different kind of life. An ideal service would be to help people with special needs. Working with them would help the offender be a better person. If he or she is a person of ethics, their attitude would improve.
Nancy Jose
Abu Dhabi

It allows people to make a difference and convey their repentance.

Not a bad idea, because putting people in jail might not be the right punishment. Human beings are bound to make mistakes. However, if they are not acceptable to society, they should be punished. An offender cannot just apologise, as that might not seem enough. But, it is still just a human error and they could repent by participating in community services.
Subedar Singh
Sharjah

As they say, ‘to err is human and to forgive is divine'. Many people do not plan to commit offences. It might be a result of uncontrollable anger or rage. Of course, a chance to do community service makes a difference and allows them to convey their repentance. But while they come out of their shells, society should welcome them with the thought ‘live and let live'.
Lily Guna
Fujairah

Community service instills a work ethic in offenders. It allows them to atone for their offences in a constructive manner. This is flexible, personalised, and humane, and a way for the offender to repay or restore the community. As a punitive measure, community service restricts offenders' personal liberty and requires them to forfeit their leisure time.
Tony Chittilappilly
Dubai

Community service will give small-time offenders time to think about their mistake and correct it. It would also allow them to repent their sin and be more responsible in the future. Most people are not aware of the simple life. A few hours of service would bring them in contact with daily life. An ideal service would be to help the elderly to cross the road.
Yousufa Mohammad
Abu Dhabi

Prison sentences sometimes do not achieve the best results in case of minor offences.

The best way to reform minor offenders is to rouse their conscience through ethical piercing. Subjecting them to crude corporal punishment or a dungeon sentence just adds salt to their festering criminal wound. Community work does moral purging by inculcating the values, virtues, and also the sense of duty towards others. This would thus make them remorseful.
Subhasis Mukherjee
Dubai

With community service, you have the opportunity to serve the community and repent at the same time. If jailed, you are simply confined to a prison cell, and it is not a reasonable punishment for a minor mistake. Community service lets minor offenders work for the benefit of society and realise that they committed a mistake, which should not be repeated.
Thomas K.
Al Ain

I think it would depend on the person. For example, a minor offence is being caught eating during Ramadan. If a Muslim is caught eating, community service will not suffice. However, for non-Muslims, community service will discourage them from repeating the mistake. If the same person is caught again, a stricter punishment should then be implemented.
Zain Al Abidin Sajid
Fujairah

A prison sentence should be assigned only for major crimes. Community service means taking time out from the daily routine, which would make offenders regret their mistake. However, nobody can guarantee whether this would be successful, as it could differ from person to person. But, making them work for the benefit of the community might just work.
Sumayya A. K. Khanche
Abu Dhabi

Some people may not take community service seriously because it is not as scary as prison.

Community service may not stop offenders from being themselves. If a person wants to misbehave they will do so even after planting a tree. For cases related to driving, the offenders could be fined or spend some time in jail. People are affected and worry most when their money is involved. Punishments that compensate the victim should be considered.
Anshu Singh
Sharjah

Community service, like picking up trash in public parks or beaches, might seem degrading to people conscious of their social status. Thus, they would not like to be a part of it. However, prison cuts one off from the rest of the world, and probably helps offenders realise what they are missing out on. That acts as a catalyst to speed up a person's realisation. Azeem Shah
Sharjah

Most people living in this country are educated. Thus, I believe the option of a community service will be effective; in some cases even more than prison. It will make offenders work hard to understand the community's needs. Going to prison affects one's life and career. But, if community service was presented as a strict punishment, it would be taken seriously.
Mohammad Arshad Hadi
Ajman

I think it depends on the type of job the offender is asked to do. For example, celebrities who have committed offences are asked to clean out trash in public. That might just be comparable to a jail term for them. Community service can be effective, as long as it does not have an alternative. Offenders should not be allowed to replace it with a fine.
Bina Mathews
Dubai