Yesterday this story hit my local paper: A 3-year old Utah girl was left in the hands of two older girls that she had just met at a McDonalds. The little girls new friends were 11 and 13. The 13 year old decided to give the 3 year old a new haircut. The three year olds mother pressed charges. The 13 year old was sentenced to community service and to have her mother cut off her hair - in the courtroom.
Another judge in Texas gave a man the option of 30 days in jail or 30 days sleeping in a dog house for abusive behavior towards his family.
The article I was reading calls these 'shame' punishments. The first case cited above sounds more like an eye-for-an-eye type punishment.
How stupid is it for a judge to sentence a girl to having her hair cut for the crime of cutting hair? Why does this even belong in a real live courtroom?
Here's a few more cited in the article:
ap wrote:
In an Ohio case, a municipal judge sentenced two teens found guilty of breaking into a church on Christmas Eve to march through town with a donkey and a sign reading, "Sorry for the Jackass Offense." The same judge later ordered a woman to be taken to a remote location to sleep outside for abandoning kittens in parks.
Turley said Texas Judge Ted Poe made people shovel manure to degrade them. Poe parlayed his "poetic justice" into a congressional seat, while Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has faced complaints over orders that male inmates wear pink underwear.
Turley said Texas Judge Ted Poe made people shovel manure to degrade them. Poe parlayed his "poetic justice" into a congressional seat, while Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has faced complaints over orders that male inmates wear pink underwear.
Turley, the expert commenting in this story is a prof. at George Washington U:
Quote:
"To some extent, we've seen the merging of law and entertainment in the last 10 years," Turley said, noting that citizens are being given a steady diet with television programs such as Judge Judy and Judge Brown.
He said he has seen no evidence that shame sentences have any more impact than conventional ones and thought society had "turned back the door" on such primitive sentences in the 18th century.
Turley said very few judges end up being disciplined.
He said he has seen no evidence that shame sentences have any more impact than conventional ones and thought society had "turned back the door" on such primitive sentences in the 18th century.
Turley said very few judges end up being disciplined.
Are we further watering down our justice system by allowing judges pick non-traditional rather arbitrary punishment?
Edit - The Article
Edited, Jun 26th 2012 3:21pm by Elinda
) are a one-off without any real chance that the girl will be a serial hair-cutter. Breaking & entering is another matter.
