Fines and sentences: conversion into community service in Ticino

Context

TL;DR

• In 2025 in Ticino: 97 conversions of sentences or fines.
• In Zurich, 1'388 requests in the Infopoint's first year.
• Four hours of work count as one day of imprisonment.
• The success rate of the Zurich model is between 75 and 80%.

Key facts

• What → community service instead of a fine or sentence
• Eligible sentences → up to six months in prison
• Ratio → 4 hours of work equal 1 day in prison
• Minimum commitment → at least 8 hours a week
• Requests in Zurich → 1'388
• Success rate → 75-80%
• Available companies → almost 250
• Ticino in 2025 → 97 cases

The situation in Zurich and Ticino

In 2025, 97 people in Ticino converted sentences or fines into community service. In previous years, based on the available data, the figure hovered around one hundred. The exception was 2024, with 125 cases. This figure runs counter to what was observed at national level, where a decline had been recorded compared with 2023.

A voluntary option

In Zurich, a foundation was established last year to promote the option offered by the justice system of performing community service instead of paying a fine or serving a sentence. The choice must come from the person concerned: there is no automatic process, and not all sentences allow recourse to this solution.

Fines, monetary penalties and sentences of up to six months in prison can be converted. The source cites speeding, driving under the influence and using public transport without a valid ticket, an issue that those travelling in Ticino can explore further in the guide to trasporti pubblici in Ticino. In the event of reoffending, fines can quickly become very high, and the person is not always able to pay them. The alternatives indicated are prison or conversion.

The ratio established by the model is precise: four hours of work in a hospital, even washing dishes, correspond to one day of imprisonment served. At least eight hours must be completed each week, while also complying with a series of rules for the sentence to be considered served or the fine paid.

The option has existed for some time and was strengthened in 2007 with the entry into force of the new Swiss Criminal Code. After an initial increase and a period of stability, recourse to this solution declined in 2019; in German-speaking Switzerland, the reduction reported was one third. Zurich responded by intensifying promotion and creating the Fondazione Infopoint. In its first year, the new model received 1'388 requests, about 40% more than in the previous period, also thanks to leaflet distribution and plain language. Community service was granted to practically everyone who requested it.

Operational details

The practical reading for those who work across the border

For a cross-border worker, this news should be kept separate from questions concerning the G permit, AVS, LPP and LAMal. The source does not cover withholding tax, tax revenue transfers or double taxation: its scope is fines, sentences and community service activities. For those who travel for work, the relevant point is limited to the examples cited: the text does not set out special rules for cross-border workers.

The choice is not an automatic discount

Conversion replaces the required service; it does not cancel the sanction. If the sentence is among those eligible, the person may choose to work instead of paying or serving time in prison; access is not automatic. Personal willingness comes first, while the hours and rules of the program determine whether the sentence will count as served.

For those who use a car on their commute, speeding and driving under the influence are the road-related examples in the source. costo auto pendolare remains a separate issue, however: here the point is the legal consequence and the possibility of replacing it with an activity, not calculating travel expenses. The same criterion applies to public transport without a valid ticket.

What the Zurich results show

The first year of Fondazione Infopoint offers an operational perspective. The increase in requests was linked to distributing flyers and using easy language; almost all the people who contacted the service were given the opportunity to carry out an activity in the public interest. The success rate, however, remained between 75 and 80%: making a request does not mean that the program succeeds.

Almost 250 companies throughout the Canton offer placements. When difficulties arise, counselors support people to prevent the program from being interrupted. The source links this support to the ability to find suitable activities and maintain the process.

There is also the cost to the community. The people who carried out the activities did not go to prison; they worked. For the administration, this means less bureaucratic work and savings, because one day in prison costs 240 francs. The Ticino figure remains more stable than the trend observed in German-speaking Switzerland, but the source does not automatically transpose the organizational model described for Zurich to Canton Ticino.

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Key points

The operational steps described by the source

The procedure can be read as a sequence of checks. The text concretely describes the Zurich model and, for the Canton of Ticino, provides the annual count. The following steps therefore illustrate the mechanism described for Zurich, without automatically attributing it to the Canton.

1. Start with the willingness

The first condition is personal. The person must want to choose community service: there is no automatic placement. In the account of Zurich, the Infopoint Foundation was created to promote this possibility.

2. Verify the type of conviction

The second step is to distinguish between the permitted sanctions and the others. The source includes fines, monetary penalties and sentences of up to six months in prison. It also mentions speeding, driving under the influence and using public transport without a valid ticket. Not all types of conviction allow conversion.

3. Measure the commitment required

The substitution requires a measurable commitment: four hours of activity correspond to one day in prison and at least eight hours must be completed each week. The other program rules must still be followed. Only in this way can the sentence be considered served or the fine paid.

4. Identify the activity and manage difficulties

In the Zurich model, one can work, for example, in a hospital washing dishes. Almost 250 companies spread throughout the Canton make jobs available. If difficulties arise, counselors support the person to prevent the program from being interrupted; the stated success rate is between 75 and 80%.

5. Distinguish the Ticino figure from the Zurich procedure

For Ticino, the source records 97 people in 2025, around one hundred in previous years and 125 in 2024. The operational procedure described, however, is that of Zurich: the Ticino figure measures the use of the solution, while the organizational steps concern the Zurich model.

The point is not merely to find a job. Success depends on the combination of a suitable activity, weekly attendance and compliance with the rules; the source specifically links the possibility of avoiding interruption to this management.

To complete your economic overview, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: rsi.ch