LANSING – Legislation making it a crime to falsely sign someone else's community service reform is one step closer to becoming law thanks to action taken today by the Michigan House of Representatives. Under House Bill 4322, introduced by State Representative Dudley Spade (D-Tipton) violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days and/or a fine of not more than $500.
"Community service is a valuable tool to help people repay the community for the crimes they have committed and provides them an alternative to paying fines when they do not have the money available," Spade said. "As with every system, however, there are those who seek to circumvent the process. In doing so, they defraud the community of the service it was supposed to receive. It is the equivalent of a theft of public resources."
Courts in Michigan often use community service as a primary penalty and an alternative to jail. Sadly, despite the lenient penalty, some defendants still try to circumvent the system and will enlist others to help them do so. While avenues do exist for the court to pursue the defendant, there is nothing that the court can do to penalize a person who knowingly falsified a form for someone else.
"The integrity of court ordered community service has been strengthened immensely with the passage of this bill," said District Court Judge James E. Sheridan. "People who are intent on cheating the public will have a much harder time doing so when this legislation becomes law. Community Service is designed to pay back the public and falsifying a community service form is flat out fraud. These people are essentially cheating the public and they must be stopped."
The bill passed the House unanimously (107-0) and now heads to the Senate for their consideration.