Juvenile offenders to fulfill community service with blood
Categories: Teens & tweens, In the news
When 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.
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.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rob O. 6-17-2008 @ 11:36AM
I'm a big proponent of donating blood, but this is a cop-out.
Given that being a blood donor is essentially a solitary act, this undermines the whole "community" aspect with regard to the offender. Sure, the donated blood benefits the community, but there's no rehabilitative component in this - the offender would be getting a scant slap on the hand, a snack, and be ushered out the door like a hero.
Kids need for the consequences of their actions to be deeply experienced in order to learn from them. This cheats that process and only make it all the more easy for that teen to continue criminal behaviors. Let 'em off the hook now and the community at large will pay an even higher price later.
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Annette 6-18-2008 @ 8:22AM
I have donated blood and I see this as a dangerous idea. They ask you whether you have any symptoms of any illness within the past couple of weeks, and a juvenile offender may lie about this question because he or she prefers this form of community service. Blood banks don't want anyone donating blood even if they have only had very minor symptoms (such as a cold) within the past few weeks. Also, juveniles who commit crimes may be more likely to have indiscriminate sexual behavior. The blood banks only test for HIV, so other sexual diseases may be passed.
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Drof 6-18-2008 @ 12:20PM
As a sixteen year old, about 35 years ago, I was given the oppournity to give blood rather than pay a simple speeding ticket. I had never donated blood before, but 50 bucks is 50 bucks, so I showed up at The Red Cross.
I had never donated blood before, but this experience taught me that donating is no big deal, but can help a lot. I have since donated many gallons of blood, while never having gotten another speeding ticket.
Sometimes, these programs work out well for everyone.
Drof
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