Topic > The Importance of Harsher Punishment - 1106

There must be a reason why pillorying and branding are no longer used. “The chief evil in public humiliation sanctions is that they imply an ugly and politically dangerous complicity between the state and the crowd” (Whitman 1059). These sanctions build a wall between the government and the people. It is morally unjust for society to publicly humiliate someone for their crime. For the State it is an effective sanction. It's a dangerous position to be in. This division between people and state can cause uncontrollable unrest. However, they are effective in justifiable ways. Massaro, a strong critic of shame-based sanctions, admits that there are clear justifications for such sanctions, including punishment, rehabilitation, deterrence, and incapacitation (1890-1900). Shaming criminals for their crimes rehabilitates them by embarrassing them beyond any imaginable duration. It discourages them by giving them just enough punishment and instilling the fear of being sent to prison if there is any resistance. Incapacitating offenders allows the public to feel safe by excluding offenders from any area that might convince them to repeat the crime. As for punishment, a survey conducted implies that sixty-seven percent of Fountain Central High School alone is associated with someone who has been affected by drunk driving. On the one hand there were multiple