The impact of The Scarlet Letter as a literary metaphor is perennial. As proof I've attached an article about a judge in Texas who practices doling out public humiliation Puritan style. Follow this link to find out some rudimentary information on Puritan Punishment.
Find the following articles in the high school's Virtual Reference Collection found on the library's home page. Log in and find the articles under Proquest K-12. Read the articles and respond in a Word document to the following: How do you feel about shame and humiliation as punishment for crimes committed? Support your opinion with quotes/ideas/paraphrasing from the articles. After you are through, copy and paste your response into the blog. Blog is due before class tomorrow!
Judge's Strategy of humiliation is strong deterrent; [Final Edition]
Don Jacobs, News-Sentinel staff writer. News Sentinel. Knoxville, Tenn.: Apr 11, 2000. pg. A.6
SENTENCE FOR THEFT IS HUMILIATION IN BEDFORD TOWN CENTER
JON SCHMITZ, TORSTEN OVE. Pittsburgh Post - Gazette. Pittsburg, Pa.: Nov 4, 2009. pg. A 1
I feel shame and humiliation, as punishment for ones crime is great if it helps the person avoid jail time. It can help keep people that don’t deserve to be in prison out of prison (u.s prisons are overcrowded) while still teaching the person a lesson. In the second article the two women opted to stand outside with the signs and face the humiliation to stay out of jail, which should happen more.
ReplyDeleteHenry James Moreta
ReplyDeleteI think that shame and humiliation as punishment for crimes committed is a very good and effective way to stop criminals and other people from either committing a crime again or committing their first crime. I think this is a good idea because people will be scared of the embarrassment which can last a life time. For example, a child molester had to put a sign in front of his house. In one of the articles it states “ Poe ordered a sign placed on the man’s house stating no children under 17 are to be allowed in this home”. Now everytime someone passes by his house they see the sign and no he is a child molester. This will not only seclude him from his own community but make him feel very embarrassed and probably lonely. I think a criminal would rather be in a place with no opportunity like jail then be in a place of opportunity and not being able to take advantage of it.
I think it’s kind of dumb. It doesn’t seem that embarrassing to stand outside a store saying you stole something. Lots of people would much rather do that than go to jail. I think that people are less scared to get in trouble with rules like that because they know they aren’t going to go to jail.
ReplyDeleteI feel that punishment through humiliation is good, if in moderation. I believe that hanging the picture of the victimized family in the drunk driver's cell was a little overboard. "Poe said he informed the warden that either the picture hangs in the cell or the warden will share the cell with the offender". This shows that the man was a little harsh, but it is understandable if he is dealing with criminals. I think something like the punishment involving holding up the two signs is appropriate. It did not hurt anything besides the persons reputation which would have been hurt anyway by going to jail.
ReplyDelete-Charles Caputo Rottmann
I believe the judge is on to something with using humiliation tactics, like making a man perform a formal apology. It helps, but only in small cases. If someone was to kill someone you still need to use the death penalty, but you can humiliate him as well. With the women who stole the cards, I found it an appropriate punishment for what could be thought of as a mistake. This is the perfect situation to use the punishment of humiliation.
ReplyDeleteUsing shame and punishment for crimes people have committed is making a comeback and is a very good idea. Some judges such as Judge Tom Poe are beginning to use humiliation as a punishment instead of jail time. In colonial times the punishments they had worked not because of the pain but because of the humiliation. For example, Judge Poe convicted a man who sexually harassed young girls who he taught piano to. The mans punishment was to place a sign over his house that said no children under 12 are allowed in his home. Judge Poe has been setting many punishments like this one and they seem to be working. “Justice to me is doing the right thing, for the right reasons and in the right way. If we remove consequences for conduct, then we have anarchy.” said Judge Poe. Shame and public humiliation as a punishment could be the solution to many of our societies problems. It will stop criminals from making another bad choice and prevent people from making the same bad decisions in the future.
ReplyDeleteI feel that shame and humiliation can be used as powerful tools for punishment in our society today. Judge Poe brought back a very powerful idea that was used all throughout our country's history. By being publicly humiliated it could change someone's state of mind, but being in jail may help some people because everything is done for them, so staying out of jail may actually be more difficult for some. Although some think it is an old idea which fits a better time, like Jerry of Crystal Springs, who said, "This is awful. This is stupid. What are we supposed to do here? Give her hell? Change the name of Bedford to Salemville?" Many people have strong opinions on the matter, but I think it could be a really strong tool, if used correctly.
ReplyDeleteShame and humiliation as punishment for crimes committed is personally a very immature, yet a logical idea as punishment. People who committed crimes have to show their sorry faces through personal embarrassment, learn a lesson through their punishment: that they will never do it again after the humiliation that they have been through; and they don't want that humiliation repeated again. "I do think it is rather immature that judges are thinking of humiliation as punishment. There is a distinct line between the fairness of consequences. I thought it was horrible that people who have been fondling young girls and beating their wives should not be humiliated in public, they should be serving time in jail where they get to think about what they did. I understand where Judge Poe is coming from about humiliation as the punishment and the person who committed the crime getting something out of it, but the criminal needs to serve their time , not just get a get out of jail free pass by humiliating themselves.
ReplyDeleteArticle #1
ReplyDeleteI feel that shame and humiliation as a punishment for crimes is not right. I think that public humiliation is unjust and unfair. I feel that the one criminal’s, the one that killed the parents of two children in a drunk driving accident, punishment of hanging the picture of the victimized family in his prison cell was not right and should not be a punishment. I feel that the law system that we have in the US is right and fair and should be followed because the jail time is made and shaped to fit the crime.
Article #2
I feel that this article explains both sides of this controversy very well. I think that seeing it from the sides of the judges and the juries that are for punishment by embarrassment is very beneficial. I think that if overcrowding is an issue, then maybe embarrassment is okay. I mean, you will only be punished for your wrong doings, but I feel that the criminals should get a choice of weather to get jail time or to get publically embarrassed in order to avoid jail time. For example, the two women who stole the two gift cards from the little girl in the store should have gotten a choice of jail time or public embarrassment.
In my opinion, shame and humiliation can only go so far. If you commit a small crime, like the stealing of those gift cards, I believe that humiliation and probation would be a fair punishment. But if you do something such as molest a child or have an affair, you can’t just have public humiliation and probation, you deserve something much harsher, like jail. “ ‘Justice to me is doing the right thing, for the right reasons and the right way,’ Poe said. ‘If we remove consequences for conduct, then we have anarchy.’ “ “ ‘Shameful conduct deserves to be met by equally shameful punishment.’ “ I agree with both of these statements. This supports the fact that the punishment should suit the crime committed.
ReplyDeleteI feel that shame and humiliation is not a punishment for crimes committed. Being able to stand outside with a sign stating your crime should not be an alternative to jail time. Though humiliation could make you think twice about that you did, it is not that same compared to spending nights in jail. One man from the article, “Sentence for Theft is Humiliation in Bedford Town Center” states, “This is awful. This is stupid. What are we supposed to do here? Giver her hell?” This shows that people are not taking these people serious that have committed a crime. Others not taking the punishment seriously can also cause the ones who did the crime to not take it seriously. In the article, “Judge’s strategy of humiliation is strong deterrent” Poe says, “Judges are the slowest people on earth to change.” Many judges have probably not changed to humiliation as a punishment because it isn’t a suitable punishment for the crimes being committed.
ReplyDeleteI think that shameful justice could be a good form of punishment, depending on the level of the crime. If a criminal can truly be shamed into not committing the crime again, then people with minor crimes should be sentenced to it. This is a much better solution than using tax money to hold them in jail, and in certain situations it could prove a more effective method. However, I do not think people who commit murder and other high-end crimes deserve to get off so easy. This method of law enforcement could be a good idea, but only when used in the right situations.
ReplyDeleteWhen the topic of crime and punishment is brought up, most people think of a person on trial for a crime they’ve committed, and go to jail. However, Judge Tom Poe and courts in the town of Bedford do things a little differently. They punish people somewhat like how they did in colonial times, public humiliation. Judge Poe said, “In Colonial days, it was public and painful…it worked then because of the public humiliation, not the pain”. Judges in Bedford use these methods too. For example, a child molester was forced to take out ads confessing his crimes and encouraging other molesters to seek help. Using these methods keep the jails from filling up to quickly, and it is also a lot more effective then just locking someone up.
ReplyDeletePublic humiliation for crimes committed is a fair was to seek justice, and it is more effective. Locking people up wont really teach the criminal a lesson.
Using shame and humiliation as punishments for crimes can provoke different reactions from victims and bystanders. Some may think that it is cruel, but I however feel that it will help to lower the rates of crime. People may behave better if they are subject to public humiliation, rather than fines or jail, if they are caught committing a crime. Instead of trying to do what is ‘cool’, a person may think twice about their actions, in fear of being subject to this nontraditional penalty. Judge Tom Poe of Houston shares the same belief. One man convicted of killing the parents of two children in a drunk-driving accident did not seem upset at all over the incident. Poe took action by hanging a picture of the victimized family in the offender’s prison cell. I would assume that this man would think twice before ever drinking and driving again. Two women were also convicted of using someone else’s gift cards, which they found in Walmart. They knew that they were not theirs, but used them tiem and time again. Their punishment, in order to avoid jail time, was to stand by the highway for 41/2 hours, holding a sign that said "I stole from a 9-year-old on her birthday. Don't steal or this could happen to you." There are many other examples of abnormal punishments for crimes, most of which I agree with. No human being wishes to be humiliated in public. Thus, more people will try to stay out of trouble.
ReplyDeleteI feel that shame and humiliation as punishment is, while cruel and unusual, a useful tool in some situations. In the case of the theft in Bedford I feel that the humiliation was just and helped the criminals learn their lesson well. In the case of a child molester, also mentioned in the same article, hanging a sign at the molester’s house would help save kids by notifying them and their parents as well. However, in certain extreme cases, such as murder, letting the murderer get off with humiliation is unacceptable and the murderer needs to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. So, while humiliation is useful, it is not enough to completely overthrow the current legal system.
ReplyDeleteDana Elka
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I feel that there should always be a consequence if there is a crime committed. If there is no consequence or if the consequence isn’t enough to scare somebody, then what’s the point? The greater the crime, the greater amount of trouble. For example, in the “Judge's Strategy of Humiliation is Strong Deterrent” article, it brings up the topic of drunk driving and the end result being a car crash killing innocent people. No sympathy should be shown for drunk drivers because they know they did the wrong thing by first driving drunk and second taking someones life in the process. In the article that describes humiliation, I think that what they had to do was a little on the harsh side but then again prostitution is illegal and you have to learn your lesson somehow and some way. You can tell that those girls will never ever do what they did again because they have been humiliated straight. "I stole from a 9-year-old on her birthday. Don't steal or this could happen to you." The previous quote from the humiliation article has to be the most cruel thing an adult could do to a younger kid and hopefully their lesson was learned and they were embarrassed enough to never do such a thing again.
I feel that shame and public humiliation could be a good sentence for the convicted criminals because they are reminded of what they did and they may think twice before committing another crime. It is also cruel in someways because then you will get a lot of unwanted attention and will hurt you even more and even if you never intended to commit the crime. When a person is down in the weather, you don’t want to kick him down even further, sometimes enough is enough. One example that I don’t agree with is when a drunk driver killed the parents of 2 children and a picture was hung up in his cell reminding him of what he did. He never intended it but it happened because he was drunk. This is cruel because he has to deal with this for the rest of his life, and yet he will be reminded of it for all of his life and the picture doesn’t allow him to get away from the thought of what he did. What I do agree with is when a man had beat his wife, he was forced to apologize and have a public speech in front of many people issued by the judge. Even though no pain was done, it may have taught him a lesson because of the humiliation. One quote I'm telling you, a little shame can go a long way," Judge Poe told The Boston Globe in 1997. "Some folks say everyone should have high self-esteem, but that's not the real world. Sometimes people should feel bad.” This quote is a perfect example of moral behavior after the crime and what punishment has done to you. The next time you would commit a crime you would think twice and would also teach others around you not to commit crimes because they would know that they would suffer the same fate that you had. I believe that shame and humiliation is an effective way to stop crimes and prevent future ones.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is a good idea to start thinking about some new punishments to give people for committing crimes. I believe this because we have all of these laws, and if you break them then you face the consequences, but if these punishments are supposedly effective, then why do people continue to break the law? So maybe some different kinds of punishments could be more effective. For example, Judge Tom Poe has the idea of public humiliation being a good punishment for crimes committed. Although I believe that we should think of different punishments for breaking the law, I do not believe that Poe’s idea will always be affective. For example, if there was a murderer who had just killed someone and their punishment was to stand on the road with a sign over their neck, this person is still loose. Also, he or she may not even care about the humiliation, because they obviously didn’t have strong enough emotions to stop themselves from committing murder. But, I do believe that this could be affective for minor crimes such as stealing. For example, a women whose punishment for the theft of gift cards was to hang a sign around her neck that said she stole from a nine year-old girl, and after the fact this women said, “I won’t pick up nothing, not even a penny.” Poe’s ideas were obviously very affective in this situation which is why I believe that this technique is good to use in only certain circumstances.
ReplyDeleteI think that shame and humiliation as a punishment is a good idea. I think this because they learn from their mistakes. Poe said, “It worked then because of the public humiliation, no the pain.” This is saying that being publicly humiliated in front of many people is the worst of all punishments. He believed that justice is doing the right thing, for the right reasons and the right way. He did not want these offenders to forget the crimes they have done. Poe wants them to feel what their “victims” had felt and to feel it worse then they have. They felt that you should receive the same punishment as the one given. I think that having guilt upon you can really put you in the perspective of the person who you have hurt. Having these feelings of guilt and humiliation should make people change their minds about the things they are doing and the harm they are causing to other people.
ReplyDeleteI think that the punishment for humiliation can be reasonable for some cases. But I also think some of them are bad idea, like when the two women put in the gift cards. They should of just apologized and pay the girl back. So in some cases it can be reasonable. The basic idea might be good but they need to improve it and think into the cases more.
ReplyDeleteShame and humiliation are both very valid punishments when it comes to crime commitment. Oftentimes, penalizing criminals for their crimes with a jail sentence or probation is not enough to make sure they don’t commit another crime. Using shame and humiliation instead has shown that “…recidivism is low for recipients of those orders…” In other words, the criminal convicted of a crime does not usually repeat that crime over again when their punishment consists of something utterly embarrassing and shameful. If a person is choosing to conduct himself or herself shamefully, then they deserve to be met by a punishment that is equally shameful; as Mr. Livengood suggested in the article titled, “Sentence for Theft is Humiliation in Bedford Town Center.” It’s more logical to have a criminal feel mortified and undignified after their crime by “throwing them into the spotlight” negatively. They become a laughing stock [in a way] to the people, and feel embarrassment – thus preventing them from engaging in another crime because they don’t want to be the center of attention again.
ReplyDeleteI think that humiliation and embarrassment are very effective ways to punish people for the crimes that they commit. This method of punishment not only teaches the criminal a lesson but it demonstrates to observers that this could actually happen to them. This would help them decide to be upstanding citizens. This could possibly have a positive effect on our society by reducing crime and over population in our jails and prisons. Humiliation would be a deterrent because generally people do not appreciate negative attention on a big scale. As the number of people who know the negative side of you or something you have done that you are not proud of increases, the amount of shame you feel increases. If only a small group of people, including those who know and love you, know what you have done, it has less of a personal effect on you than having to face and infinite number of people who will judge you based on what you have done. “I have never, ever been in trouble. This is very sad. But what about the thousands and thousands of things that [other] people have done? What about the people who molest children? What about the people with DUI’s? I’m embarrassed. But everyone in Bedford County knows what kind of person I am.” This was said by a woman that had to stand outside of Bedford County’s historic courthouse square, holding signs that read: “I stole from a 9-year-old on her birthday. Don’t steal or this could happen to you.” This quote is very significant because it was said by someone who knows what it feels like to be publicly embarrassed. The best thing that could happen in this type of situation is that she is able to teach a lesson and prevent others from making the wrong choices. -Cristina Monaco
ReplyDeleteI feel that the shame and humiliation punishment is more effective than the shame and painful punishment because humiliation just messes with the mind of the criminal or anyone for the matter. Hawthorne has had several ways to humiliate people who commit crimes. For example “One man convicted of killing the parents of two children in a drunken-driving wreck seemed less than remorseful to Poe. So Poe ordered that a picture of the victimized family be hung in the offender's prison cell. The prison warden, however, told Poe he would not hang the family's picture in his facility. Poe said he informed the warden that either the picture hangs in the cell or the warden will share the cell with the offender. The picture promptly was placed on the cell wall.”- Jacob, Don
ReplyDeleteThere were other incidents where Hawthorne’s humiliation techniques also worked. His methods of humiliation must have been effective because according to the article this man in Texas beat his wife. HE was sentenced to be chained up in the town square and apologize in front of everyone. Soon after, Hawthorne said, “She is now the most respected and safest wife in all of Texas”
ReplyDelete“Judge's strategy of humiliation is strong deterrent: [Final Edition]”
I think judge Poe rules an unusual manor that gets peoples attention. He really cares about the victims and their rights for redemption. He doesn’t punish them by just throwing them in jail. He makes it so the offender feels remorseful about his/her actions. When a man killed the parents of two children when drunk driving, he put the man in jail and hung a picture of the family in the cell. This is to remind the offender of his crime and makes him feel guilt upon his action. This is probably a better way to make the criminal realize what costs his actions created. Judge Poe is trying to get other judges to practice this manor of punishment. I agree there should be consequences for your actions. Judge Poe isn’t worried about what people say because he believes in satisfying the victims of these serious crimes.
“SENTENCE FOR THEFT IS HUMILIATION IN BEDFORD TOWN CENTER”
Lee Geisler was researching old property records from the 1890’s and found that they are similar to cases today. In a modern-day equivalent, two women found two gift cards at walmart that had a name on them. They didn’t turn them in and tried to use them. The people of the store knew that the cards were missing from a 9 year old girl. The store clerk asked them if it was really their cards. Even though they both had names on them, they both said it was originally their cards. Since the jails were being overcrowded Judge Poe reverted back to the old ways of punishment by public humiliation. The two ladies had to stand outside wearing signs that read, “I stole from a 9 year-old on her birthday. Don’t steal or this could happen to you”. Both girls in the end said that they learned there lesson and wouldn’t steal again.
I feel like shame and humiliation is a fair punishment in some cases. For example, the child molester that was mentioned in the second article needed to take out ads confessing his crimes and encouraging other molesters to help themselves. But if someone steals a lost item, I think it very unfair to use public humiliation as a punishment. Child molestation is a much worse crime than stealing a lost item, and I believe that the same punishment should not be set for both of these cases.
ReplyDeleteI feel that shame and humiliation as punishment for crimes committed is wrong. When someone commits a crime, they are given a punishment, whether it be probation or jail time. Either way, the criminal charge they are faced with is put on a record and looked at when applying to colleges or jobs. Many colleges with not accept you and many people will not hire you if you have a criminal record. The punishment for the crime committed is humiliated enough, because, for the the rest of your life, the mistake you made 10, 15 or however many years ago will follow you around and people who don't know you will judge you based on having a criminal record. Humiliating people in front of a large crowd is pointless, because they are going to face humiliation for the rest of their life. It also seems childish to humiliate someone. The person already has to live with the self guilt because of the crime they committed. Being publicly humiliated could make it so that the person would want to take their own life. Lastly, if a person does a really bad crime, they deserve to spend time in jail. The humiliation is stupid and only lasts a few hours. Jail can last up to decades. I think public humiliation goes against humanity and is a very stupid form of punishment.
ReplyDelete-Sarah Culver, Per. 1
I feel that shame and humiliation isn’t the best method as punishment in modern society. I imagine that it worked better during colonial times, for example when The Scarlet Letter takes place because a majority of people were very religious and strict, therefore people would feel more guilty about the crimes they committed if they were made public. This is true according to the article, “Sentence for Theft is Humiliation in Bedford Town Center”, when it states “Public shame as punishment dates to the days of the Old Testament, and it was popular during Colonial times in America before falling out of favor with the advent of the modern legal system.” Punishments for crimes should be deciphered depending on the extent or severity of the crime. The criminal wouldn’t learn a lesson or suffer as much if they were only punished with the use of shame. I feel that it would be too lenient, especially if the crime was something such as a murder. They would most likely attempt more crimes if they already know the consequences aren’t very harsh. "I'm telling you, a little shame can go a long way," Judge Poe told The Boston Globe in 1997. "Some folks say everyone should have high self-esteem, but that's not the real world. Sometimes people should feel bad." I believe this is true as well, however, everyone is different and some are more susceptible to feeling guilty than others. Therefore some criminals would be able to shake off the guilt easier and continuously commit crimes unless punished more severely.
ReplyDelete-Daniela Campino
Henry Seeliger
ReplyDeleteEnglish 10 honors
1. I think Tom Poe in the first Article had good ideas and was not harsh at all. If someone commits a crime they should be forced to pay for what they did they should not just get their sentence and be done with it, the Public should be notified of the crimes this person committed in hope to prevent others from doing crimes which would result in extreme humiliation for them as well.
2. I think in the 2nd article, The 2 women who supposedly “stole” two wal mart gift cards from a little girl. I think their punishment was a little too harsh. They did make a mistake but they never really caused any real damage. I’m sure the little girl would feel the same way if the cards were just lost than if the women took them.
I believe that shame and humiliation as punishment for crimes is a lot better than the death row for some cases. If a child has committed a serious crime and is being sentenced I believe that instead of a life sentence that that child should just have to do something for their respected town. I think standing outside on a street corner holding a sign that states your crime is a good punishment. I believe that Judge Poe is on to something better than sentencing children and teens to life in prison and even death.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI feel like some of the punishments, such as apologizing in public for committing a rape was very embarrassing but a not a decent punishment for such a crime. However, in the case where two women stole a little girls gift cards, they were rightfully punished by wearing signs that said thief.
Kat Fucigna 9/11/12
ReplyDeleteEnglish 10 Honors period 2
I think that humiliation for punishment of crimes is actually a good idea. People generally are more afraid of the judgments of others than physical punishment itself. "In Colonial times… It worked then because of the public humiliation, not the pain." Says Judge Tom Poe who recently started using unusual punishment such as wearing signs on the street and making public apologies over a loudspeaker. It would definitely work if I had to be publicly humiliated in front of the town. One woman had to wear a sign around her neck for 4 ½ hours because she used 2 gift cards that a little girl lost in a store. She had to take the embarrassment because her husband was laid off and she couldn’t afford to be put in jail. Furthermore, I think public humiliation could very effective in the future.
Public shame and humiliation for crimes committed can work for certain crimes such as the sex offender having a sign on his lawn warning children to stay away. However, some seem a bit overkill like how the man who killed a family in a drunk driving accident has to have the family portrait in his cell. You want the man to feel guilty about his actions but you don’t want him to mentally insane.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Judge’s Strategy of humiliation is strong deterrent I realized I kind of agree with Judge Ted Poe because what he is doing is making those people not do that again because of the humiliation they faced. As a child, when kids write notes to each other, and if you got caught the teacher would read the notes out loud in front of the class. That taught you to not write notes again. “In Colonial days, it was public and painful,” Poe, 50 said, referring to stocks. “It worked because of the public humiliation, not the pain.” No one likes to be embarrassed or put down so by Judge Poe, publicly humiliating him or her, it teaches him or her not to do it because they don’t want to be put in that same position again. In Sentence for Theft is Humiliation in Bedford Town Center, the punishments are also similar. Two women found Wal-Mart gift cards on the ground and used them, they were caught and eventually had to hold signs out saying “I stole from a 9-year-old on her birthday. Don’t steal or this could happen to you” instead of jail time. By doing this kind of government it causes a chain reaction. People, who see others in that position, realize that they should start listening and doing the right thing or that could be them.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, shame and humiliation as punishment for crimes committed is a good thing. I think this because if someone has to go out and publicly let the world know of the crime they committed, they will be so embarrassed by the punishment that they will never even think about doing the same thing again. Also, other people will see the punishment a person may have to endure and they themselves will never commit that crime. Self esteem and confidence is a big part of most peoples lives so for people to go out and embarrass themselves is an unimaginable punishment for some that makes people fear the justice system and become more threatened to commit a crime.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article “Sentence for Theft is Humiliation in Bedford,” it is said “...shame began making a comeback as some judges and prosecutors sought alternative ways to punish offenders and relieve jail overcrowding(Schmitz 1).” This quote supports public humiliation because instead of making an offender of a crime go to jail, they can just serve their punishment and move on. Jail is payed for by the people through taxes so keeping people out of jail for committing basic crimes can save a lot of money.
At the end of this same article, the offender of stealing says “I won’t pick up nothing, not even a penny,” this shows that her punishment has taught her to do the right thing and that she will never do the same thing again.
In conclusion, I think public humiliation and shame as punishment will become more common as time goes on. Hopefully, this punishment can be used for the better to eliminate and reduce the amount of crimes in the United States.
“Judge’s Strategy of humiliation is strong deterrent”
ReplyDeleteShame and humiliation are great punishments for crimes that have been committed. I think this because just as Poe had said in the article, “Justice to me is doing the right thing, for the right reasons and the right way.” A lot of his actions such as hanging a picture of the family a drunk driver had killed in his jail cell, and taking away the piano of a man who abused little girls while giving piano lessons were criticized, but honestly I think they were appropriate and fair. What Poe did really made these criminals feel the guilt and remorse they should for their actions. This humiliation caused them these horrid feelings and the criminals probably thought twice before acting from then on. This shame and humiliation really enforces justice and if having a picture hanging in your cell of a family you killed or your front door reads, “No children under 17 are allowed to be in this home” then so be it, along as they learn their lesson as well as serve the consequence to keep society safe.
“Sentence for Theft is Humiliation in Bedford Town Center”
I highly disagree with what the judicial branch decided for these two unfortunate ladies. Standing in the streets with a sign admitting that you stole creates a situation making you very vulnerable to the public to put you through brutal torment, suffering, and harassment. I did agree with Judge Poe above because his actions were against real criminals who committed real and serious crimes such as abusing children and drunk driving. I do not believe that those two ladies of Bedford should have been given that punishment because their crime was no where near as severe, just using a gift card that didn’t belong to them. I feel that these two ladies should have been given a smaller or less humiliating punishment.
I feel shame and public humiliation as punishment for crimes committed is an excellent idea, of course a little more toned down than in Colonial days. Judge Tom Poe said, “I’m telling you, a little shame can go a long way. Some folks say everyone should have high self-esteem, but that’s not the real world. Sometimes people should feel bad,” agreeing with that, I believe that if someone does something wrong or commits a crime there is nothing wrong with making them feel guilty for what they did. Maybe by making this guilt or shame a public act, it may get the point across to the criminal of how bad something they did was by seeing how people look at them or perceive them for what they did. The idea of public humiliation for offenders could be more effective than other punishments, as Poe said, “ In Colonial days, it was public and painful. It worked then because of the public humiliation, not the pain.”
ReplyDeleteI believe that shame and humiliation is actually a logical and fairly effective punishment for criminals of any kind. Victim’s of this humiliation punishment have agreed that their views have changed after their embarrassing acts. For example, Mrs. Border the gift card thief stated "I won't pick up nothing, not even a penny." I also agree when Poe says that "That was four years ago, and that is probably the safest wife in Texas,” in regards to the man beating his wife and then having to apologizing to a large public crowd for it. I think that humiliation and shame are punishment techniques that should be more widely used.
ReplyDeleteI think that public humiliation can be a good punishment, if used the right way. If you are a criminal and you aren’t proud of it or you don’t want to flaunt what you did to everyone, stating it in public would definitely keep you from ever doing anything wrong again. Reminding the convicted criminal of exactly what they did seems like a very effective way to punish the person. For example, when Judge Poe ordered that a drunk driver have a picture of the family he killed hung in his cell it served the purpose of humiliating the criminal because he has to face the fact that he killed people because of his poor choices. Another reason I think the public humiliation punishment may actually be a good way to punish criminals is because in Bedford County all of the people are aware that their judge may make them do something embarrassing that clearly puts on display the crime they committed and no one wants to go through that; therefore less people will do something illegal.
ReplyDeleteShame and public humiliation being used as a form of punishment is a good idea. Being punished in from of a crowd was more frightening than a physical punishment in private. The following quote displayed this. "I stole from a 9-year-old on her birthday. Don't steal or this could happen to you." Also being punished in a public way will also warn people watching, making them not rebel. Also in the Colonial days the punishment didn’t need to be painful. "In Colonial days, it was public and painful," Poe, 50 said, referring to stocks. "It worked then because of the public humiliation, not the pain." This quote displayed that no one needed to get harmed physically, only socially.
ReplyDeleteShame and humiliation as punishments for committing a crime is very different from what it would be normally today. Today there are more severe consequences. Humiliation as a punishment is what I think is okay to do. Letting people know what they did, or to stay away from them. It just shows other people that if they are going to committee a crime you could end up like that person being humiliated or maybe worse. Shame on the other hand I don’t agree with. Someone who committed the crime should get their punishment(s) and then pay the price for it. Putting shame upon someone isn’t the way to make someone own to what crime they had done. The saying “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right “ would be why I think it isn’t right to put people to shame after committing a crime
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the articles I feel that shame is a very good punishment. There are a few reasons found in the articles for this. First, it can be an alternative to jail time, which is very fair. It gives you a choice of your sentence. This is especially important because jail can be a dangerous, harsh place, even for a criminal. Also, it says in the article that shame is used as a punishment to relieve the overcrowding of jails, which is a major problem throughout the US. Furthermore, the shame punishment saves money because keeping prisoners is extremely expensive for the government. This form of punishment is also an effective deterrent because in many cases the public can see this new form of punishment and realize how bad it is. It will help to keep crimes from happening. For all of these reasons I believe that a shame involved punishment is better than jail time.
ReplyDeleteSubmitted via email 9/20/2012