> And I say now (and all of you can hold me to it later) my daughter will never participate in any compulsory community service program.
I echo your sentiment.
“Community Service” is often used in NZ as an alternative to sentencing for Youth when they get involved in minor crimes. (Sometimes it is even used for adults.)
What are your feelings on that?
They do the same thing in the US. I have less of a problem with that because it’s a punishment. If you sentence convicts to work on a prison farm or a road gang I don’t think it’s a big deal (so long as proper precautions are taken of course.)
California often uses community service to allow violent felons to walk, and to help defense attorneys get rich.
Which is only fair, since attorneys created the system, and they should at least get something out of it besides credit.
It is very common here in the USA too.