Community Service for Attempted Suicide - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

Wandering the information superhighway, he came upon the last refuge of civilization, PoFo, the only forum on the internet ...

Crime and prevention thereof. Loopholes, grey areas and the letter of the law.
Forum rules: No one line posts please.
#14805928
This idea just popped into my head one day, so please poke as many holes in it as you can. I'd like to smooth out this idea and determine if it's even a logical thought.

My idea is that people who have attempted suicide should be "sentenced" a certain number of community service hours, in addition to any psychiatric services they may need. They could work with others in a safe environment with a positive atmosphere, and help improve the lives of the people around them. The point is that the community service would show them that their existence is needed and greatly appreciated, and volunteering could actually give them a purpose in life, at least until they get back on their feet again.

I seriously feel like I haven't thought this through enough, so I'd like your opinions. In fact, I'd even like to see some discussions on state handling of suicide cases in general. Is there a better solution? Should suicide be illegal, or come with some sort of court mandate?
#14805961
Being compelled to take part in "community service" would not only be the opposite of positive and a "safe environment," but most likely reinforce a person's desire to die. Punishing people for wanting to commit suicide, or having already tried to but just couldn't hack it, will not create a positive environment. They don't want to be there, and the atmosphere will not be pleasant.

Why do you think people don't have a right to decide if they want to end their life? For some people, there is too much pain and suffering, whether literally or figuratively, to continue living; what makes you think you have a right to keep someone alive against their will?
#14805964
Being compelled to do community service would probably drive a person to commit suicide all over again. Get them help, don't punish them.
#14806000
That would be a happy community service program, lots of attempted suicide committers all together in one place being force to do slave labour, that will clear up their problems right away what a happy place that program would be I imagine they would be cured within a week what a wonderful idea!
#14806005
Depends on the service. I heard of programs where juvenile delinquents trained service dogs and that apparently had a very positive effect on them, too. The basic thought that helping others can imbue a person with a sense of purpose and at the same time provide social interaction is sound; however, it would be heavily case-dependent, because not everyone tries suicide because they feel lonely and useless. What do you do with the teenager who has been bullied in school, or the family father in his mid-fifties who doesn't find a job anymore? Especially in the latter case, you'd send him the message that you won't pay him for work, but expect him to work for free? Yeah, that'd go down well.
#14806014
Bulaba Jones wrote:what makes you think you have a right to keep someone alive against their will?

Depression is a mental illness, and I wouldn't trust that everyone with depression is able to reason soundly. If they are not in their right mind, then they should not be trusted with such a huge decision as ending their own life. If they had proper psychiatric help, they might be able to overcome their depression and make more rational decisions.

Of course, this only applies to people with clinical depression. Terminal illness and other such circumstances are a different story.

Edit: Typo

It is possible but Zelensky refuses to talk... no[…]

Israel-Palestinian War 2023

@skinster Hamas committed a terrorist attack(s)[…]

"Ukraine’s real losses should be counted i[…]

I would bet you have very strong feelings about DE[…]