Public Punishment

Kitsune · 12-07-2004, 10:36 AM

I've heard of the judges that force the shoplifter to stand outside the victim's store, holding a sign that reads, "I stole from this place of business and got caught." The humiliation the criminal feels, it is thought, is both a deterrant to the convicted as well as a visible warning to other potential thieves. In a short documentary on the return and popularity of public punishment, a camera revealed that few (if any) people passing by do anything to ridicule or make a scene, but that everyone takes notice. Other states have recently tried to pass laws requiring people convicted of DUI to have a special license plate that brands them as such, usually all-red and very visible. A lot of people feel that this serves all of the above purposes and then some: it warns other drivers, urging them to keep their distance, and permits officers to take better notice of a driver that might be a repeat offender. In the case of sex offenders, new online databases warn local residents of possible child molesters and where they live, better helping the community to protect their families.

Or, perhaps, to make it easier for the punished to be tracked down so others may commit crimes against them.

Lawrence Trant is, by many, hailed as a hero because of his attempt to correct what they view as a failure of the judicial system through his own actions by trying to put criminals who committed crimes against children to death. Do these virtual red letter "A"s act as a deterrant or create more problems? Are the convicted to be further punished after serving their time, or is the ridicule and harrassment part of the sentence?

12-07-2004, 10:36 AM	#1
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	Public Punishment I've heard of the judges that force the shoplifter to stand outside the victim's store, holding a sign that reads, "I stole from this place of business and got caught." The humiliation the criminal feels, it is thought, is both a deterrant to the convicted as well as a visible warning to other potential thieves. In a short documentary on the return and popularity of public punishment, a camera revealed that few (if any) people passing by do anything to ridicule or make a scene, but that everyone takes notice. Other states have recently tried to pass laws requiring people convicted of DUI to have a special license plate that brands them as such, usually all-red and very visible. A lot of people feel that this serves all of the above purposes and then some: it warns other drivers, urging them to keep their distance, and permits officers to take better notice of a driver that might be a repeat offender. In the case of sex offenders, new online databases warn local residents of possible child molesters and where they live, better helping the community to protect their families. Or, perhaps, to make it easier for the punished to be tracked down so others may commit crimes against them. Lawrence Trant is, by many, hailed as a hero because of his attempt to correct what they view as a failure of the judicial system through his own actions by trying to put criminals who committed crimes against children to death. Do these virtual red letter "A"s act as a deterrant or create more problems? Are the convicted to be further punished after serving their time, or is the ridicule and harrassment part of the sentence? Last edited by Kitsune; 12-07-2004 at 10:38 AM.

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