Community Service as An Alternative to Custodial Penalties: A Comparative Study

Traditional penal systems based on custodial penalties face numerous challenges, including the high cost of prisons, increasing crime rates, and the failure to reintegrate offenders into society. Therefore, community service has emerged as an alternative punishment to imprisonment. This penalty requires the convicted individual to perform beneficial work for the community without pay, for a specific period, under the supervision of a competent authority. In light of this, the research aims to clarify the concept of community service and identify its various forms. The importance of this study lies in highlighting the role of community service in achieving restorative justice in society, rather than focusing solely on punishment. Additionally, it promotes a sense of citizenship and social responsibility among offenders and helps integrate them positively into the community. The research employs a descriptive-analytical method and is divided into two main sections: the first section addresses the definition of community service, while the second explores its forms. The study concludes with several findings, the most significant being that community service is a penalty that requires the offender to work for an institution, organization, or public association for a legally specified period determined by the court, without compensation. This penalty produces positive benefits for society.