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toss_it_out_tomorrow OP t1_j8u9c4b wrote

Reply to comment by GooFoYouPal in 2 suspects charged with flipping car during Philly Super Bowl block party by toss_it_out_tomorrow

I think everyone's punishment should be community service of cleaning up this city on top of whatever else they're given

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crispydukes t1_j8wc4i1 wrote

Call me a scaredy-cat, but in today's retribution culture, I'm not sure I want people who have been involved in violence in a public situation like that. We've had too many killings right after people are released from prison.

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toss_it_out_tomorrow OP t1_j8x2co0 wrote

I hear ya. But some of these people don't have any idea where they're going ahead if time for their community service if they're coming right from jail. My aunt lives in jersey on the river and twice a year, guys in their orange jumpsuits come to clear out lots of old wood and trash along the river. They're chaperoned by a bunch o gun carrying cops and I've been there when they're over there doing it. They get a gorgeous day outside and they look at the water and they clean up the area. They're usually there for 10 hours. They get breaks. They do a gorgeous job, and they're very kind if folks walk by and greet them. I'm of the mindset that yes, there are some people out there who are not in any way fit for society for whatever reason, but I also know that *some* violent offenders could have just fucked up badly due to circumstance. I believe a lot can come from rehabilitating people.

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AlVic40117560_ t1_j8uamb7 wrote

I’m personally not a big fan of slavery, even as punishment for a crime.

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toss_it_out_tomorrow OP t1_j8ub286 wrote

cleaning up the mess you made isn't slavery (and tossing around the word "slavery" to describe normal tasks really minimizes how horrific slavery was/is)

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AlVic40117560_ t1_j8ubxf1 wrote

What would you call forcing people to perform labor? Just because it’s not as bad as it was in the past, doesn’t mean there are still improvements to be made. I totally agree that they should have to pay damages, but doing 200 hours of community service? Or what? They get put in jail? Call it what you want, but it certainly doesn’t sound like not slavery.

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toss_it_out_tomorrow OP t1_j8ud0kj wrote

>but doing 200 hours of community service? Or what? They get put in jail?

YES. You don't go trashing a city, flipping cars that people use their hard earned money to buy so that they can go to work and school, destroying the streets with trash, piss, shit, and vomit, beer cans, bottles, etc... and just get yelled at by a judge and fined. You make people regret what they did by having them CLEAN UP THEIR MESS OR GO TO JAIL. If they don't like it, then they should not have done it.

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pineapple-pumpkin t1_j8uuo6s wrote

Yup. I got a stupid underage drinking charge the day before my 21st birthday. I had a choice to do community service or a harsher punishment. I chose community service in the college town. That is much different from "chain gangs" that are forced labor for inmates.

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toss_it_out_tomorrow OP t1_j8vb95m wrote

If I ever found myself in that position and given the choice, I would pick up trash along a highway before I sat in a jail

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bierdimpfe t1_j8uiotr wrote

>What would you call forcing people to perform labor?

In this context? I call it partial restitution

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PhillyPanda t1_j8v1i4i wrote

You’re not usually forcing people to perform labor. It’s usually you choose to perform community service in lieu of a jail sentence. If you don’t fulfill the conditions of your deal, you serve your sentence. If you don’t actively choose community service, you serve a sentence.

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GooFoYouPal t1_j8ucc6u wrote

Yeah, neither is anyone here in this thread. Soo, back to what were we saying about community service…

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Vexithan t1_j8unq65 wrote

Helping to clean up the city you fucked up by being a dumb asshole seems like a pretty appropriate way to start getting at restorative justice. It’s a way to make reparations for your shitheadedness.

I had to do community service as a kid one time when I did dumb shit. I had to do it at the police garage which was a waste of time because I just learned to dislike the cops more. But if I had to do something in the park I vandalized I guarantee you I’d have a better appreciation for the park.

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Hungree_Gh0st t1_j8ulmsy wrote

In this context, wouldn’t this be a form of restorative justice? Adding value to a community that one had previously diminished?

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Electr_O_Purist t1_j8x0e1j wrote

C’mon, don’t be obtuse. A few hours of community service isn’t slavery. Their payment is not having to go to jail for the crime they committed.

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AlVic40117560_ t1_j8x1o81 wrote

Obtuse. I like that one. Might have to steal that going forward.

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TheTwoOneFive t1_j8v9tsh wrote

Usually community service is fairly lenient in where it is done, usually as long as you have a letter from a Philly nonprofit (or one outside the city stating the CS was done in the city) City how many hours you worked for community service, you're good to go.

I think it's a great alternative to jail for non-violent crimes and is usually a win-win because oftentimes the person performing it chooses something they at least don't hate and there's a decent chance that they will voluntarily get involved in more of it in the future.

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