The Social and Economic Effects of Implementing Alternatives to Custodial Sentences – Community Service as a Model – on the Family in Iraqi Society: A Sociological Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31150/ajshr.v6i6.3690Keywords:
alternatives to custodial sentences, community service, social and economic effects, iraqi societyAbstract
This paper has been undertaken to examine the social and economic consequences of using community punishment as a penal alternative, and its contribution in integrating convicts with the Iraqi society. As a viable substitute to imprisonment, the following issues were examined: the negative consequences to families stemming from the use of these sanctions insofar as they may represent a fundamental factor of a social cohesion and economic soundness; as well as their potential to play a role in enhancing social reintegration of convicted adults by maximizing the reinsertion of these individuals in their familial and community surroundings.In order to meet the objectives, a descriptive-analytical method was used, and the main data collection instrument was a questionnaire. The e-questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 185 lawyers from different provinces of Iraq and the responses were statistically analyzed using SPSS software.It was concluded that community service is a tenable sanction able to mitigate the deleterious social effects of the imprisonment of a family member, for example, social deprivation and stigma, and that too serves to maintain family stability, as it allows the convicted person to continue to interact with family members in his or her role as a social and economic contributor. The analysis also showed large economic effects in that financial losses due to incarceration will be reduced and families will be able to meet the costs. Community service also assists the re-acclimation of convicts into society.Thus, the research has led the issue of community service penalties to endorse the establishment of this penalty in Iraq, the adoption of a codified legal frame work for it, the elevation of national responsibility to advocate its value, and the provision of support systems in the form of psychosocial services designed to aid convicts and their family to realize it up side.
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