Community Service Needs Structure

As you may can tell by the header logo I'm a firefighter by profession. After ten years on the line at a busy fire station I've seen the best and worst in people. At present I'm in a support role involving logistics and equipment procurement. Regularly our headquarters is frequented by mainly wayward youthes who are here to make their wrongs right by doing community service hours. What I've come to realize however is that the majority of the people who set the tasks to be performed by these wayward ones are not interested in rehabilitation much less helping the individuals. Granted usually these ones have their own work to do. However interest in these ones is crucial if they are to really turn their life around. If the probation authorities got out in the public and took a more proactive stance to this problem maybe community service would benefit the ones performing it. As it is now I would doubt seriously that it has any lasting effect on the behaviour of those assigned it. This wouldn't have to be an in depth thing maybe just an awareness course given by the probation authorities on the need to try to instill in these people a need to improve their life. People thrive when an interest is taken in them. I would be willing to wager the opposite is true when people are thrown aside to do some menial task that others find tiresome or monotenous. All of us have worth and sometimes people just need to be reminded of it.