Community Service

So I was driving along the highway (freeway if you're from Cali) the other day and along the side of the road was a group of community service kids. It got me thinking. Here's my idea for a community service reform. Right now, they do things like clean the side of roads and stuff. While that has it's place, and it is a job no one else really wants to do, but does it actually teach these people anything. It's a mindless task that, while annoying, doesn't really require anything from them other than time. They walk away having done "their time" but not learning anything from it.

So here's my suggestion.

People who get assigned community service have to come up with a community service project to improve their actual community (or possbily the one the offended to get th punishment). Think about it though -- it makes them use their brains and it makes them own their punishment. They actually have to invest something of themselves into it. Now, there are definite things that would need to be figured out with this. Like each person coming up with their own project may be a little too much, but that's easily solved by creating teams of people that have community service. These teams would, of course, have to get their project approved by someone who works for the city. Someone who can say, that's a good idea, or that's not good enough. Even if it is just them cleaning up a specific area of their community, at least it is their community. And like, let's say they decide to clean up a park -- well then they can actually rehab the park versus just picking up garbage. Or creating a community garden or something. The possibilities are endless. They have to create it, make it happen, own it and hopefully learn from it.
Hmmm... maybe I should figure out who my alderman is.