My morning job consists of supporting guys who've been homeless and/or ex-offenders, so I tend to come in quite early to make sure I touch base with the ones who go out early for some reason.
I've just had a fascinating insight into our justice system, more specifically community service.
As I understand it, it's designed to 'give something back to the community' in lieu of a custodial sentence... as an aside, I discovered yesterday that the current cost of keeping someone in prison for a year stands at about £28000!
Anyhow, back to community service.
One of my guys spent yesterday delivering charity bags to an outlying village of around a hundred homes... along with NINE other men. It was a task they had to make last all day.
Now, I'm sure the charity would be delighted with any return from that drop, but ten men, a hundred bags, that's only ten bags each. I'm not saying these guys deserve anything cushy, but it must have seemed like a huge doss and a joke... well, I'm told it was.
It must be very difficult to secure tasks - a lot of people wouldn't want "criminals" working with or for them - but there has to be an alternative... doesn't there? Community service that actually DOES put something positive into the community, encourages the guys to work hard and have an opportunity to realise that making things right is important.
when we were in Trin & Tobago in may, the people who claim benefits (not even criminals!) have to regularly do "tendays" - 2 working weeks of community work, which usually involves digging roads, mending fences, cutting back the evergrowing tropical vegetation from the roads/verges, painting, rubbish collecting - most of these are things that we spend taxes to get done, and even a small amount of workload relieved by part-time "community" helpers, would make some savings. It also really does give those working a bit of physical exercise, socialising with those whose teams they are put on, and a sense of achievement! And it does need a lot of administrators - which creates non-criminal) jobs too!
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