Originally Posted by KD5NRH

Personally, I'd rather see something like 2x-3x credit for useful community service, but I've not run into one that would offer it. Even $100 per 8 hour day of basic service (normal janitorial and such) or $150-200 per day of more intense (highly skilled or heavy manual labor) would likely get some takers and benefit the county a lot more than having the extra inmates.

This is why I've been saying for years that we should have a sliding scale of fine vs community service for all minor offenses; say a minimum of x hours community service (based on the offense) with the option of taking the fine as service too. A $200 fine, even with the $100+ extra in court costs, barely qualifies as a slap on the wrist to someone who makes $100k/year, but to the minimum wage student that needs every penny of his income to make ends meet, it can start him into some really problematic debt. OTOH, do it my way and the wealthier one will feel some sting from having to spend a few hours mowing the courthouse lawn on top of the cash payment, while the student can choose to give up his Saturday afternoons for a month or two and not have to panic about the money.