As a person who espouses non-violence it's hard to admit how
appealing this idea is to me. Think how quaint it would be to present public
humiliations in the park. Flogging would obviously be the ultimate punishment meted
out
here, but I can see a heirarchy of humiliating sentences for lesser crimes.
All the good old American tools of our Colonial history: The Dunking Stool, The
Stocks etc. All the stuff the Quakers worked so hard to get rid of a couple
hundred years ago.
I started to write something a little facetious ( not unlike Jim )
but became a bit seduced by the core idea. "Why not?" kept going through my
head. After all, Civil justice and Restoritive punishment have been with us these
past two centuries plus ( in relation to their times, obviously they'd be no
such thing to us today). There's an awful lot of evidence the job ain't been
getting done. The concept of punishment where you got right with God and
abandoned your evil ways has been left long in the ditch. When's the last time a
Joint was called a Penitentiary anyway? They're supposedly used for punishment
alone these days but actually are just revenue producing warehouses ( and
underground grad schools of course. I don't think I have to iterate on this list how
the gangsters use the facility).
Of course there's a crying need to warehouse a lot of these people,
but I'm going to make an unscientific estimate that 30-40% would serve better
in other manners. Number one, they don't care if they go to the Joint! It's a
bit prestigous as long as it's not for too long ( it usually isn't ). They hang
with their boys in relative safety and chill for a while.
Public Corporal Punishment they might not be so cool with. Ultimate
Disrespect.Film at 6:00 and 10:00.
It might be extra cool if it were known that all gangsters would have their
sentences carried out on enemy turf ( with lot's of protection).
Pimps-AND JOHN'S- would benefit greatly from hanging in the stocks
for a weekend with all the neighborhood members they had perturbed(?he-he)
equipped with vintage produce supplied by either big box retail grocery or pinko
yuppie organic freaks depending on the political sway in that region. There's
plenty of vengeance for all, folks.
Of course with all the legal hoops that would have to be leapt, this
is never going to be more than List -Drivel but damn, after I try to clear
away all the easy humor of this concept, it seems to make a lot of sense.
Besides, with what some of the Cops are handing out on an ad-hoc basis, this would be
patty-cake.
People United for Public Humiliation (PUPH) starts here!
Jon Gorder
Loring Park
P.S. Skip the flogging. Way too much historical misery there. PUPH
is open for far more innovative and humiliating punishments. Remember to try
and fit the crime. Seriously.
TEMPORARY REMINDER:
1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject
(Mpls-specific, of course.)
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