The Hair-Cut Punishment; Are Shame Punishment’s On The Rise?

A Utah mom, Valerie Bruno, is disturbed by juvenile judge Scott Johansen’s “shame punishment” of her 13-year-old daughter. The 13-year-old girl was in court for cutting a 3-year-olds hair off as well as harassing a teenage girl over the phone. In an attempt to reduce the sentence, the judge agreed she would reduce the sentence if the mother of the 13-year-old cut her hair.

Shortly after, the Valerie Bruno filed a formal complaint against the judge claiming she “intimidated her into the eye-for-an-eye penalty”.

A professor at George Washington University, Jonathan Turley, explained to the Associated Press that shame punishments are “part of a disturbing trend that has developed in the last 20 years. These are punishments that often appeal to the public and bring a type of instant gratification for the court.”

The Deseret News, Geoff Liesik — AP Photo

Indeed instant gratification was had by Mindy Moss, the mother of the three-year-old whose hair was cut off. She claimed that the punishment inflicted on Bruno’s daughter was just and even stated that not enough hair was cut off of Bruno’s daughter. The judge then made Bruno cut the ponytail even further up to the rubber band.

Bruno sadly spoke out about the hair-cut punishment and stated that she wished she had not taken the offer Johansen made to reduce the sentence. She also said that she should have consulted with a lawyer before going to court.

What do you think? Should shame punishments be the way to get justice served? Or should these eye-for-an-eye penalties be done with for good? Comment below and let us know what you think.

(images: centredaily.com)