Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Punishing Idiots

The courts here in the U.S. are getting creative when meeting out punishments to the dumbest or most inconsiderate of criminals. A Municipal Court judge in Ohio recently ordered 32-year-old Shena Hardin to serve a highly public sentence in shame on Tuesday and Wednesday for the citation she received. Shameless Shena was caught on camera driving on a sidewalk to pass a Cleveland school bus that was unloading children.

Yep! She not only doesn't she stop her car to wait for the bus to unload, as required by law for the safety of the kids, Shena just drives around the stopped bus imperiling the lives of the kids and anyone else who might walk on the sidewalk. And apparently she has done it may times before. One witness, parent Lisa Kelley, whose 9-year-old daughter boards the bus that Shameless had been passing on the sidewalk, said the sentence fit the crime. "She did this almost every day last year," Kelley said. "She won't stop laughing. She's not remorseful, she laughed at every court appearance. She's still laughing, so she needs to be humiliated like this."

And what was the humiliating punishment imposed by the judge? It was to hold a sign that said, "Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus." One hour both Tuesday and Wednesday Shameless was herself shamed....maybe. Stupid people often feel no shame., and Shameless wore a set of headphones to listen to music and ignore any comments while she paraded around with her sign. Oh, Shameless Shena was also fined $250 and had her driver's license suspended for 30 days and she was ordered to pay $250 in court costs.

I like the idea of this kind of light humiliation of those who deserve to be humiliated and probably can't be convinced of their bad behavior unless they are humiliated. It's the old world eye for an eye justice.This kind of sentence is a nice trend. Recently some other judges across the country have resorted to unconventional sentences.
* In Utah a teen had landed in court in May because she and another girl used dollar store scissors to cut off the hair of a 3-year-old they had befriended at a McDonald’s. What did the judge do. He agreed to reduce the hair cutters community service time if her mother chopped off her daughter's ponytail in court. The mother has since filed a formal complaint, saying the judge in Price intimidated her into the eye-for-an-eye penalty. Sigh..someone should cut off mom's hair too!
* In Houston, Texas, Daniel and Eloise Mireles were convicted of stealing more than $265,000 from the crime victims fund in Harris County, Texas. In addition to restitution and jail time, the Houston couple were sentenced in July 2010 to stand in front of the local mall for five hours every weekend for six years with a sign reading, “I am a thief.” A sign was also posted outside their house stating they were convicted thieves. Hmmm Maybe we should also do this with our thieving politicians.
* In Pennsylvania residents Evelyn Border and her daughter, Tina Griekspoor, 35, were caught stealing a gift card from a child inside a Walmart. I'm not kidding. They stole form a baby. In response the district attorney of the county said he would recommend probation instead of jail time because the women stood in front of the courthouse for 4 1/2 hours holding signs reading, “I stole from a 9-year-old on her birthday! Don’t steal or this could happen to you!” An pair of idiots imposed a preemptive punishment to avoid more harsher punishment from the court. I like it.
* In Wisconsin a man named Shane Mc Quilan who crashed his car into the gates at a Wisconsin waste water treatment plant spent eight hours holding a sign saying, “I was stupid.” Sewer guy Shane decided he would rather do that than spend 20 days in jail on a charge of criminal damage to property because he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.238 percent, nearly three times the legal limit for driving, at the time of the "accident". Might have helped if the judge made Shane also clean a few sewers.
* An Ohio judge ordered a man and woman who vandalized a baby Jesus statue in a church's outdoor nativity to march through town with a donkey to apologize. They led a donkey provided by a petting zoo through the streets carrying a sign that said, “Sorry for the jackass offense.” After the 30 minute march, the pair were taken to serve 45 day sentences that included drug and alcohol treatment. They also were ordered to replace the statue. No word on whether they have been able to replace their self respect.

Oh, if you have a suggested sentence for me for writing about this stupidity, just forget it. I also have no shame

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