The courts have used community service as a form of punishment, time for reflection and as a way for low level offenders to give back to the community for their crimes.
People who have been charged for a first time with a DUI are usually obligated to perform a mandatory 40 hours of community service to atone for driving under the influence.
They need to find a balance with their personal life, work and these mandatory hours.
These hours are basically a full time job they need to juggle within a certain time period.
Many perform these hours by volunteering to local governments or nonprofit agencies.
Performing these hours can be difficult for many who have a demanding full time job or those with children.
Some may need to inform their bosses to explain why they need to work less hours to be able to complete these mandatory hours.
Others need to find alternative child care options for the extra time needed to be taken out of their day.
Having to complete community service hours can be considered a second part time job and can put a strain on someone’s personal and work life.
Another difficulty is figuring out where you can complete these mandatory hours.
There are rules and regulations to consider when looking for a location to perform your hours, because the court cannot accept hours from just anywhere.
Most courts do not accept community service hours provided from churches or schools.
The courts do typically provide individuals with a list of options, but then you must contact these locations to ensure that you are capable of performing the necessary duties and can complete it within their hours of operation.
There are many factors to take into consideration and you must ensure that your hours will be accepted by the court before you start working them.
The number of hours the court mandates will also depend on the amount of DUI’s you have had in the past.
The first DUI on your record can guarantee you 40 hours, but as the number of DUI’s on your record does increase the amount of days you need to perform instead of hours.
The increase of hours requested by the courts will also take more time spent at work.
This in turn also affects the amount of income you will be bringing to your household income.
If you are a single income household this will affect your household very badly.
It can affect you mentally having to strain your finances to be able to afford your expenses and also splitting your time with working your mandatory hours.
The stress of completing these mandatory community service hours could very well be avoided by not driving while intoxicated.
These hours are meant to be a lesson to help people reflect on their decisions to avoid making the same mistake again and to make better decisions.
These hours are not only a form of punishment but were created as a way to help the community by providing free labor to non profit organizations.
Community service hours are an important form of repentance for many who commit crimes such as drinking and driving, and it can definitely be avoided by making smarter decisions.