Most private businesses such as hospitals do not want these no-matter-how-benign perp bodies around. Brainless work has to be temporarily created for them.
Businesses don't want or don't have the time to watch them during their CS hours. Plus, depending on the charges that were brought originally, other employees are often afraid of them.
Therefore, the community service assignees are shunted into government or social work agencies to do their hours. I was township supervisor when we got saddled with a CS person. The only thing we could do with him was to have him endlessly feed minor document pages through a copy machine for the few hours every week (for seven weeks) he was there. That's all he was qualified for. We couldn't take routine work away from other employees without some kind of training for him and tying up the regular office worker just to train this individual.
Assigning community service screw-ups to "pick and shovel" type jobs requires supervision plus insurance problems. Proper vetting is impossible and you don't want just anyone in a government "job" out on the streets dealing with or near the public without supervision. If something goes haywire, there's an instant lawsuit against the city or town.
I hope y'all are beginning to get my drift.
Community service generally ends up with the schlump sitting around some social work office unhooking papers clips until his/her hours are thankfully fulfilled. The only "punishment" for him/her is getting up in the morning and getting somewhere on time.
Take it from one who knows all about comical "community service"
Better to give a light offender 30 days, suspend the sentence, impose strict probation, and give everyone, including the public, a break. "Community service" should fool no one.
Leni
I understand what you're saying...I do know a guy who had his own business...he agreed to take on someone sentenced to CS for a few weeks, and the end result was disaster. I don't know that community service really helps all that much...but I guess there is some opinion that jail might be too harsh, so they're looking for something with meaning and consequence. But I think CS would be just a feel-good measure for everyone but her -- and that would be all. To me, the main things would be a sincere apology from her to all concerned and restitution. And oh yes, she does need professional help. I seriously hope she gets it.