Pluses and Minuses of Public Shaming

What if you knew that if you drove drunk you would have to wear a sign around your neck saying that you did? If you assaulted someone, how would you feel if you had to publicly apologize? Would you be quick to commit a crime? This is what Texas judge, Ted Poe, does in his county. I believe that public shaming is effective, but only in certain cases.

What is public shaming? When a person has been convicted of a crime, they have the choice of either going to jail, or being publicly humiliated. An example of one of the methods that Poe has used was when a man had beaten his wife. Poe was frustrated to see that the wife was horribly embarrassed but that the man wasn’t. Poe sentenced this man to do jail time and publicly apologize to his wife. Poe later commented, “He was humiliated, and he didn’t like it at all.” Another example of public shaming have been thieves who have been made to wear a sign outside the store they have robbed stating that they robbed the store.

What are the upsides to public shaming? Well, Judge Poe states that of the 59 shaming sentences he has given, only two of those criminals have ended up in jail again. A store owner commented that since Poe had sentenced the thief to stand outside of his store, thefts had gone down. Mothers were bringing their children to look at him as an example of what would happen if they committed crimes. Also, if public shaming is used, it could even lower taxes. If people aren’t going to jail, if people aren’t returning time after time, we don’t have to pay for jails and prisons to hold them.

However, when there are upsides, there are also downsides. In some cases, the shaming can be more harmful than helpful to rehabilitation, if taken too far. In Illinois, a sign was put up in the lawn of a battery offender that said “Warning! A violent felon lives here! Enter at your own risk!” I believe that this is taking it too far. It almost seems as if he is made out to be a monster, not a human being who made mistakes. Another reason why public shaming can be bad is because it can spark violence in anyone. The thought process is, “If the government can do it, so can I,” or “If the government is doing ti, it must be right.” One community sent out fliers to everyone about a sex offender informing them of his whereabouts. Within hours the offender’s house was set on fire, his grandmother’s house was egged, and his other family members received death threats. This is wrong, wrong, wrong! This begs the question: Would this have happened without the fliers? Would people have done this on any other normal day?

Some say that public shaming makes sure that the offender feels guilty and doesn’t do it again. Others say that public shaming should be compared to what the Mao and the Nazis did. When public shaming is used in moderation, it can be very effective.