Prosecutor wants defendant to wear sign advertising his crime

[Rose Siding]

snip>
Alfonso Carrano was scheduled to be sentenced Monday afternoon after pleading guilty to fraud. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he's eligible for a sentence of probation, but Assistant U.S. Attorney William Welch is asking for more.

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court on Friday, Welch asked the judge to order Carrano to stand outside school department headquarters wearing a sandwich board reading: "I STOLE $10,000 FROM THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. THIS IS A SERIOUS CRIME. THIS IS PART OF MY PUNISHMENT."
.....
In his motion, Welch said forcing Carrano to wear the sandwich board will "promote general deterrence and send a powerful message to the community regarding the serious nature of these types of crimes."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/04/prosecutor_wants_defendant_to_wear_sign_advertising_his_crime/

[HereSince1628]

1. Maybe not "Cruel" under AGAG but certainly unusual.

The proclaimed deterrent value exists only in the argument of the prosecutor.

Oh, how the right yearns for the return to use of scarlet letters!

[UpInArms]

4. maybe tattoos will become the new

thing - but the caveat will be that no GOP politicians will be eligible for them :eyes:

[PsN2Wind]

2. Maybe they'll make Ken Lay

paint something similar on the side of his private jet.

[dmkinsey]

3. perfect!

lmao

[LiberalEsto]

5. Imagine the length of the sign describing *'s crimes

if, by some miracle, he were ever convicted.

The sign would be a mile long.

[plasticsundance]

6. This is ridiculous

What next? Put people in public stockades as did the Puritans. If we keep up with all these sophomoric reprisals, we might as well go back several centuries for guidance. I mean, c'mon, are these really the actions of implementing the law from an alleged enlightened society?

De-evolution at work. We just can't wait to get back to the trees.

<sigh> :eyes:

Hey, why not strip naked the convicted felon and make that person join in a human pyramid with other naked convicted felons? Sound familiar?

[0rganism]

7. Yup, it's back to the stockades for America now

How long will it be until we revisit the burning times?

[Julius Civitatus]

8. When are they bringing back the "scarlet letter"?

You know, at this pace, adulterers will be forced to wear a big-ass red "A" in their clothes.

We are quickly descending back to the 18th Century.

[Orsino]

9. To ensure that he fulfills the terms...

...he should be locked into stocks for the duration.

Seriously, such a sentence would invite abuse from passersby. This *is* both cruel and unusual; we don't ask this of typical felons in prison.

If it's such a "serious crime," he should serve time behind bars.