Community Service can tackle climate change.

[Rheghead]

On a recent cycling trip to Harris and Lewis, I marvelled at the islands but I was dismayed by the amount of litter by the side of the road. I estimated that there was 2 beer cans per metre of road from Tarbert to Stornaway on each verge. From my calculations, I worked out that if we sent out an army of petty lawbreakers to pick up all those cans from just that stretch and recycle them then the energy that would be saved would be immense. Actually it works out to be the equivalent to the Causeymire windfarm operating for 2.5 years. As someone that is opposed to the Lewis windfarm proposal then may be this could be an alternative renewable energy source? Every 2.5 years they go out and pick up the cans and they save the eyesore of a windfarm!! :)

Seriously though, shouldn't Community Service be a suitably menial punishment for offenders but worthwhile for the community and environment?

[EDDIE]

using community services to tackle climate change is just not enough to have an impact its really a world wide effort and they really need to tackle the matter now and not later
Everyone forgets that we only have one planet and moving to another planet is not an option

[champagnebaby]

What exactly do they do as community service up here anyway?? I've seen the van that takes the offenders places but to be honest i've never actually seen them out of it.

i know one boy who had community service and when i asked him what he done it was something like chopping wood at the community service centre up at the airport and he didn't find it a task, although he did find it annoying that it took up some of his weekend - still wasn't enough to deter him from reoffending though.

I don't think community service is a real punishment, admittedly sometimes it does fit for the severity of the crime but in many other cases where more serious crimes have been commited they dish out community service and it's just not punishment enough.

Sometimes i wonder are the judges under pressure to try and keep Scotlands prison numbers down???? It's the only reason i can think of why they wouldn't lock up some people especially for some of the crimes they've commited and the previous they've got.

[Tugmistress]

What exactly do they do as community service up here anyway?? I've seen the van that takes the offenders places but to be honest i've never actually seen them out of it..

The last i knew was the people on community service where making plantters for old folks homes and junior schools in the area, if the weather and tide was right they were cleaning up the banks of the river wick, they were laying paving slabs at a little church? in thurso and doing up santa's grotto ready for the christmas before last.

[champagnebaby]

Ah right, oh well least it is something worthwhile they're doing.

Was it them who was helping do round the fountain at the river in Wick aswell?

[Through]

As far as the litter goes, there would be little problem if people would stop throwing it around Scotland. How hard is it to find a bin or carry it home to your own bin?

[pedromcgrory]

actually before u speak about things u dont know about taymar again , im on community service and we have put a lot through the county .santas grotto in wick fountain in wick by river restored it fences in greenland off an familly we problems ,built planters for flowers all over for community etc, just think before u speak about things before u speak lets see u do something for the commuity before u judge :lol:

[pedromcgrory]

sorry to taymar it was a mistake it goes out to all on this topic who dosent have a clue wot there on about ,ok

[champagnebaby]

And do you find it a task pedro? do you feel like it's punishment for whatever you done?

Forgot to say - you's are doing a good job of the fountain area :D

[Rheghead]

There is now talk of making the people who are on Community Service to wear bright orange boilersuits. This would be a great idea because if they were told to clear the ditches of beer cans then they wouldn't get all their chavvy designer gear dirty. Plus everyone would know who these people are.

[champagnebaby]

then they wouldn't get all their chavvy designer gear dirty

LOL :lol: [lol]

[Zael]

Bright orange is fine, but its not a bad colour to wear in everyday life, put them in shiney dayglo pink, that would make them stand out from the crowd a bit more.

From what I've heard there are a few restrictions on what can and cannot be done by people on Community Service due to health and safety etc. I think litter removal is one that causes problems. However there must be a few things that are currently done by machine that could be taken over by the Community Service people, like ditch diggiing/clearing although I'm not sure if this would infringe on someone's job.

They should possibly think about hiring out the service to people like farmers who could pay the cost of a tractor for a day to them to turn over a field before planting or something similar. I'm sure someone like MM Millers wouldn't mind paying a little to have sites cleared before house building.

[beppo1967]

Just to let everyone know, offenders ( or clients as some organisaitons call them), they have 2 options..
1- come out once a week and do there order
2- go to jail
i would say 60% complete the order and the rest breach it and go to her majesty hotel Portefield for a few months...The one's who do there order come out and there quite happy doing work for the community, old folk, etc....We do a wide range of work from grass cutting, plant boxes, furniture removal, painting, kindlers and logs for the OAP's,etc...i think it's unfair to say that people who blow there mouth of and say they should wear orange boiler suite's and making them look like idiot's in the town, next all u people would like to have them in the market square wearing boiler suits with no pockets with arrows on the back breaking rocks....

[Rheghead]

I saw a crofter in an orange boiler suit going about his business, he certainly didn't look like an idiot nor would an offender on Community Service. ;)

[Zael]

or clients as some organisaitons call them
Just goes to show how nambie pambie the whole punishment system has become when you start calling them anything other than what they are.

If 40% of offenders can basically choose not to complete these orders then why are they given out at all? Of the 60% that do go out to work, what percentage of them re-offend?


next all u people would like to have them in the market square wearing boiler suits with no pockets with arrows on the back breaking rocks....
Please explain why this is a bad idea?

[Smee2]

Not breaking Rocks but possibly in Stocks :eyes
Oh! bet that will go against their Human Rights :eyes

Must be great for the victims to think that the "CLIENTS" have a choice of whether to go do their community service or reside at Her Majesties Leisure....

[Viva Diva]

There is now talk of making the people who are on Community Service to wear bright orange boilersuits.

I remember seeing that on the news the other night, I think it's a good idea (not that it has to nesessarily be an orange boiler suit but the idea is there...)

It lets people see what the offenders are doing to pay for their crimes and as was previously said you can see who they are. You might want to know if they're working right outside your house.