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Filed under: Teens & tweens, In the newsWhen a teen is convicted of a low-level crime, the sentence often involves some sort of community service. Whether it is picking up trash, reading to the elderly or collecting donations for the poor, the idea is to punish the offender while at the same time providing a service that benefits society. And while there are those who might argue that forcing someone to give of themselves as a form of punishment puts a negative spin on being charitable, there are plenty who would disagree. In fact, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court in Ohio wants to take the whole idea of forced community service to an entirely different level. They have partnered with the American Red Cross in a program where offenders aged 17 and older may have the option of simply donating blood to fulfill their community service requirement.A judge or magistrate would have to approve the plan and the same blood donation guidelines currently in place would apply. Participation would be voluntary and those unwilling or unable for medical or other reasons would be given alternative sentencing, such as volunteering at a blood drive or taking a CPR class.While the dire need of blood donations cannot be argued and this plan certainly addresses that, I question whether it truly serves the intent of community service. Being forced to spend time with an elderly person, to bend and stoop to pick up trash, to look away from oneself toward another human being can be an eye-opening experience for a young person. To me, sitting in a chair with a cookie and some juice while being stuck with a needle would seem to lack the personal engagement necessary to truly reform a delinquent into a contributing member of society. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Posted on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:01:00 EST at http://www.parentdish.com/2008/06/17/juv...ith-blood/
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