I don’t think prison is a good option for these minor offences but I don’t agree with all of Judge Cicconetti’s sentences. Making an Ohio housewife spend a night in the woods in winter, for example, could go horribly wrong and leave the judge open to a lawsuit himself. Community service would have been a better option in my opinion and would have been of more benefit to society.

I like it, but I also think jail and fines are a good deterrent. If you had stats on the creative punishments benefit over regular, I’d read it.

Yes, society would be better if things can be dealt out like this in addition to what the laws dictate.
My belief is that judges, parents, bosses need to all find out ways to deal out things that are lessons and not deal out things that feel like punishments.
That is when true reflection can occur to change your ways and realize the impact of your action.

I agree with @flutherother . Community service would be a more fitting punishment

I agree with the sentences that are community service, like mowing the lawn.

Good point made above about making the mom spend the night in the woods in winter. Leaving kittens in the woods is cruel but in that case, maybe a sentence in jail or something harsh within guidelines would be more effective. Also the sentence about making someone walk 30 miles in 48 hours – if the person had a heart attack or something, that would be a lawsuit for sure.

Jail is not always best. It all depends on circumstances.

Too often “creative” punishments are meant to humiliate and shame, rather then rehabiitate an offender.

I would rather have a judge sentence someone to menaingful community service. Not picking up trash on the highway, but working in a food kitchen or helping kids that have been hurt by a drunk driver.

What is next? A judge sentencing a juvenile offender to give him a crotch massage?
This is just an excuse for malicious judges to indulge in power fantasies.
They should stick to the book.

There are many many trial judges who run their courtrooms in manners similar to this one. He hasn’t done anything of which I am aware for which he might be sanctioned.

Just as a clarification: the woman that spent the night in the woods had people checking on her. Police kept a regular eye. But no one was allowed to take her in for the night. And the other clarification is that none of these punishments was the sole option. He gave them the option of taking the standard punishment. Every person that got the alternative punishment knew what the punishment was before choosing and they all chose that as their punishment.

“Spare the rod and spoil the child.” Benjamin Franklin said that??

He might have taken his inspiration from The Mikado of Gilbert & Sullivan:

My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time —
To let the punishment fit the crime —
The punishment fit the crime;
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment!
Of innocent merriment!

I’ve always wondered how it would go if somebody tried this. I do like the idea, at least theoretically, and I applaud the intent of the judge who applied it actually, even if some of his sentences might have missed the mark. My guess is that the culprits remembered the lessons, and so did the folks around them.

And he did give them a choice.

So yes, I think society might benefit. I just wouldn’t want to see a delay in due process on account of creative sentencing.

@Jeruba I found it interesting that there were no delays. In fact I think things went just as quickly, if not more quickly, with his punishments rather than normal sentencing. He didn’t deliberate endlessly looking for a likely punishment, he offered it right at the time of sentencing as an alternative, and if they decided to do it, it was carried out very quickly. One guy was spraying graffiti as his crime. He spent a day or two (I can’t remember the exact length) doing community service painting public things with a toothbrush. He had to paint hand rails, benches, things like that. And it was carried out just a day or two after the trial.

I just read some articles on him and he’s a dog owner. He seems like a nice guy.

There are five aspedts to criminal justice: retribution, incapacity, deterrence, rehabilitation and reparation. This judge is combining retribution with reparation. I am not much of a fan of retribution, but reparations are okay.