History of Shaming Punishment
History of Public Shaming
Shaming as a punishment has been a practice for hundreds of years now. There have been many cases wherein the offender has been publicly shamed in order to give awareness to the public about the wrong behavior that the person has done. In fact, public shaming has been used to control the public’s behavior. During the early civilization, the concept of justice is purely to give punishment to miscreants in order to pay for the crime of offense that have committed. In that case, providing punishments on offenders would set an example for the others to abide the law. The colonial practice of giving punishment took a further step by using shame and shaming (Cox, n.d.). The punishments were always publicly imposed so as to humiliate the person as well as to teach him a lesson in order for him to repent and work hard to be a better citizen. During that period, the colonial magistrate was proud once the offender’s guilt was done through public confession, thus, making the person to express his repentance in front of the public.
Another form of shaming punishment in the early ages was the numerous colonial sinners who were forced to sit in the stocks facing the public (Cox, n.d.). Additionally, a more harsh punishment of shaming was also exercised during 1600s in which “stretch-neck” is used. It is an upright board, which is divided into two with one hole for which the offender’s head will be set and has two openings for the hands. This was also called the instrument of discipline to confine the offender’s head in its tight grip while the public is watching.
These examples are no longer new to the history as these were the ways in order to provide punishments to public offender. Thus, shaming punishments were effective during the early periods and may consider as important ways to discipline people. Embarrassing people who committed wrong behaviors is an idea so as to teach them lessons in order not to do it again. In that case, people will be aware of their own mistakes. Thus, other people will not do the same mistake based on the humiliation that they may face in from of the public.
Shaming punishment in the United States primarily aims to publicize the offender’s illegal behavior (Miller, 2012). This is also to reinforce the current social ethics that reject such negative actions. Even though shaming was a primary sanction during early times, it is still more likely to be used today as an alternative sanction to imprisonment, fines, and incarceration. For example, a drunken driving offender was required to write a public apology in 1998 through local newspaper along with his photo printed on the paper (Miller, 2012). Furthermore, Aaron Book (1999) says that there was another shaming punishment imposed in 1997 in which a trial court in Illinois convicted a person of aggravated battery against another man. As part of the punishment, a warning sign was written on his house saying that “a violent felon lives here”. This only shows that shame punishment method may have been changed overtime, but its goal is still similar, which is to teach the offender a lesson by telling showing his offense to the public (Brazas, n.d.).
There are many states in the US including New York and Texas that order drink driving offenders to put a DUI sticker on their bumper, which is a short term for Driving under the influence (Kahan, n.d.). Even nonviolent sex lawbreakers were ordered to put warning signs on their properties in both Oregon and Florida. In Massachusetts, on the other hand, men who are not giving child support payments will find their photos displayed on buses and subways. Many other shaming punishments are being imposed in different states. Historically, this type of punishment is an effective campaign so as to let the public know of the potential humiliation that they may face once they commit unlawful behaviors. Thus, this will serve not just a reprimand, but a lesson that must be learned by each person.
References
Book, A. S. (1999). Shame On You: An Analysis of Modern Shame Punishment as an Alternative to Incarceration. William & Mary Law Review, 40(2).
Brazas, S. M. (n.d.). Shame on You: Do "Shaming" Punishments Work? - Lawyers.com. Retrieved from http://criminal.lawyers.com/criminal-law-basics/shame-on-you-do-shaming-punishments-work.html
Cox, J. A. (n.d.). Colonial Crimes and Punishments : The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site. Retrieved from http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/spring03/branks.cfm
Kahan, D. M. (n.d.). Shaming Punishments - Historical Antecedents: Corporal Punishments And Imprisonment, Contemporary Impetus: The Search For An Expressively Appropriate Alternative Sanction. Retrieved from http://law.jrank.org/pages/2122/Shaming-Punishments.html
Miller, W. R. (2012). The social history of crime and punishment in America: An encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
