Q: I’m on probation for a dwi and was set to do 96 hrs of community service and cannot because of my job, can I pay a fine?
A: Normally you can't "buy" your way out of community service. A lot of courts look at community service as an alternative to giving a person time in jail, so they often see it like they have already given you a break by not putting you in jail. Talk with your probation officer and explain your problem and maybe they will give you a longer stretch of time to get the community service done, or some other alternative, but I think part of the idea is that they want to inconvenience you, by taking away some of your time, and it's less of an inconvenience to do community service than to do jail time. Sincerely, Frank B. Ford
Tim Akpinar and Brent T. Geers agree with this answer
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