What was ill-conceived about that program was having them work to produce something. The work in this program should not be based on making a product because of course they are going to do a half-ass poor quality job because they would rather sit at home (taxpayer paid for) watch TV and eat the Cheetos they bought with their food stamps! They need to be working cleaning up the highways, parks, cities etc. Or working at recycling centers and landfills. Something that requires hard work and no brains!
Poor work is always poor work, no matter what it is. Like the old saying: "A job worth doing..."
If you had them working cleanup, you would need to have supervisors (more cost), and probably transportation (more cost, most city people don't have cars). What do they do with their young children while working? (more cost).
Working at a recycling center requires a level of quality too. It would make a mess of things if the lazy worker sorted things wrong. More work to correct the problem, much like my situation.
Unfortunately the solution isn't nearly as easy and satisfying as the OP suggestions.
