Recent events show that community service is becoming an increasingly popular punishment for petty crimes and lower-level offences, following an update to the penal code that included community service as a prescription for some cases instead of remand.
This week, an Emirati was ordered by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to clean city streets and public spaces for three months for reckless driving, during which a pedestrian was hit. Before that, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, prescribed community service in two Dubai cases, one involving three men who set hungry dogs onto a cat and one regarding of a group of men driving recklessly at City Walk.
Community service can be an effective form of punishment and a valuable lesson in humility and respect. These men, all of them Emiratis, might complete their community service with a new perspective and stronger sense of responsibility. Their example might also deter others from similar behaviour.
But what sent an even stronger message were photos of the Abu Dhabi offender as he carried out his community service. This recalls how public shaming was regularly used as a form of punishment in the UAE a couple of decades ago, when pictures of street harassers were published in newspapers.
Yet, effective as it might be, it also can be a double-edged sword. To be sure, Emirati society is small and tightly-knit. As such, public humiliation can have a big impact on the behaviour of individuals. But for those who fail to meet the standards of acceptable behaviour, the repercussion can follow them throughout their lives.
So the question is, is it fair that youthful infractions should colour one’s life forever? With the internet, the moment a piece of information is posted, it never goes away. Is this too harsh? Maybe. But there is little doubt that it is also a very effective deterrent, and therefore a useful tool in the judicial armoury. We just need to be careful about how and in what circumstance we wield this new weapon in law enforcement.
