Thread by @ZoeTillman

A Capitol Rioter Paid $109.95 To Do His Community Service Hours Online

A deep dive into how some people who pleaded guilty to joining the Jan. 6 insurrection are completing their court-ordered community service: buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Edward Hemenway, sentenced to 45 days in jail + 60 hours of community service, submitted a letter of completion from Logan Social Services, an org that advertises as the "online solution to your community service needs" and charges fees based on hours buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Lots of nonprofits offer virtual volunteering, esp. during covid, but a number of court systems warn that they don't accept online programs for court-ordered community service. A few specifically bar the program Hemenway used, Logan Social Services. buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…

Logan Social Services said Hemenway's comm. service was "educational in nature, with a labor component" — reviewing materials online and providing "feedback," which the org says it uses to "improve" classes it offers to fulfill court-ordered education obligations (also for a fee)

Hemenway's codefendant Robert Bauer completed his 60 hours doing "general labor" for his local public works department.

It’s unusual to see public records of how Jan. 6 defendants are doing their community service — a judge recently ruled there wasn't a right of public access

The executive director of Logan Social Services responded to our Qs, saying they clearly warn people to make sure the judge/probation office will accept the program before starting and that it provides an option for people who can't do in-person service for a variety of reasons

The org gets its nonprofit status under the umbrella of a church, but the exec. director said that it's a secular operation. As for the fee, he says it goes toward "advertising, site upkeep and materials" and compared it to people paying for goods at a Goodwill store