[burnished]

I'm not like, broadly familiar with community service as a punishment across the globe, cultures, and time, but the way I'm familiar with is a mandate of X hours and its on you to find a place to volunteer and get them to sign off. So its not like the court told them to do this particular act of penance, which yes would strain credulity, it was self selected.

[ericbarrett]

I'm not sure why people don't believe this...? It was in California in the early 2000s and it was offered as an alternative to litter-picking and, if I recall, work at a soup kitchen. Said relative chose it because of the travel time since they lived far away from the jurisdiction where they were sentenced. I'd ask for more details but they passed away a few years later.