Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Community Service Hours

I've seen several cases where defendants' plea agreements include community service hours. How many of you knew that a defendant can sometimes "buy out" their hours for $10 each?

The only time this ought to be permitted is when the defendant's physical health prohibits them from completing their hours. This practice, even though it generates some money for our State, doesn't allow defendants with some financial means to truly learn a lesson and think about their crime while they're picking up trash (or whatever they're supposed to do). Why are we allowing them to not be inconvenienced by paying their debt to society?

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