德國的刑事政策向來認為短期自由刑對於個人會產生不利影響，故短期自由刑必須被廢除，而由其他替代刑罰措施取代。德國近三十年來的刑事政策，尤其是1969年至1975年間的刑法改革修正
法案，確立的方向就是限縮短期自由刑而設置替代刑罰，特別是罰金刑制度是德國認為最重要的替代自由刑的機制。但是自90年代開始，罰金刑的執行卻成為全德國的刑事政策問題，近年來德國因無法繳交罰金而轉為自由刑執行的人數不斷增加，尤其是在統一後的新德國聯邦地區形成了相當嚴重的問題。因此，即使在法律依據並不充足的情形，德國各邦自90年代以來，在替代自由刑的措施上即以「公益勞動」制度作為替代自由刑的執行模式而在實務上積極加以推展。本文以下將針對德國公益勞動制度之法規範發展、實務運作情形以及公益勞動制度的再犯預防成效的相關研究，逐一進行介紹。此外，我國在2009年1月21日修正刑法第四十一條，又於同年6月10日修正刑法第四十二條之一，新修條文自2009年9月1日開始施行，此次修法開啓了我國的「易服社會勞動」制度。我國的易服社會勞動制度與德國的公益勞動制度皆是屬於替代自由刑的措施，由於我國的易服社會勞動制度開始實施未幾，而德國的公益勞動制度有近三十年的歷史，因此，最後本文將對我國的易服社會勞動制度為些許說明，並且以個人的觀察提出兩國制度的比較意見以及對我國的相關建議。

Community service in Germany is an important alternative to imprisonment and a fine. Community service in Germany instead of punishment should be encouraged even more. It needs more practical alternatives to the existing system of sanctions. Community service can help not only to avoid imprisonment and the associated negative impact on family, work and life environment. The offender can repair some of the damage and thus contributes to reconciliation in the society. It provides meaningful work for the community, rather than simply serving his sentence. In addition, he must give up leisure time, which is a real deterrent. For the unemployed offenders community service may also be a first step back into work. Community service may be imposed in adult and juvenile offenders - as a result of conditional discontinuation of proceedings when the guilt of the offender appears only slightly - as a probation condition under the program “instead of sweating seats - to prevent the enforcement of custodial, where an offender can not pay a fine imposed on him in the youth criminal proceedings as a means of discipline or corrective method. The teaching and supervision of community service is for a rule of judicial assistance. If an offender placed under a probation officer, monitored the latter, whether the work is performed correctly. This research will be going on the Subject of Community service in Germany.