More companies should offer community service for young offenders

Community service for young offenders was introduced in 2007 as a new penalty. The aim of community service is to give young offenders a chance to serve their sentence through unpaid work and at the same time gain some workplace experience.

Café Kummin is a good example of a company taking social responsibility. Since 2007 it has, in cooperation with Stockholm community service, offered some twenty young offenders the chance to do their community service.
One of the young people currently doing their community service at the café works two days a week.

"I do everything from preparing food, washing up and working at the till. Sometimes there's also the chance for me to do some extra work here. This is giving me some good experience."

Inge Odstam, director of Stockholm community service, says that community service was organised for 266 young people last year. Of these, 84.6 per cent completed their community service.

Myrorna, McDonald's and City Mission are some of the companies and organisations offering community service. But Inge Odstam believes that more are needed.

"We would like to have 200 places of work. Of course, we dont have waiting lists as such, but with more places the community service scheme would be better adapted to young peoples interests and circumstances."

Head of Café Kummin, Abbe Hannah, says that a café environment is particularly good for young offenders sentenced to community service.

"It is valuable experience for young people to work in the service industry and come into contact with people."

Ms Ask stressed that companies and organisations that take on young people for community service are making an incredibly important contribution to society.

"This deserves to be highlighted and the Government will monitor how the scheme is working around the country."