NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- A new Tennessee law is enlisting the power of shame to discourage drunken driving -- even the governor, law enforcement officials and various experts are calling it an expensive and bad idea. Starting Sunday, convicted drunken drivers are required to do 24 hours of roadside cleanup while wearing orange vests emblazoned with the phrase "I am a Drunk Driver." The new law is aimed at first-time offenders, says one of its sponsors, state Rep. Charles Curtiss. "You cause them to go out and pick up trash in front of their friends and neighbors, the embarrassment is going to be such that they're never going to want to go through that again," Curtiss said. "Hopefully you can turn them around to never become a second-time offender." Funny, and could even be effective! What more could you ask for in a legal system? But I don't know, seems kind of a strange way to do things, would you object to this kind of treatment? Do you feel that it is against your morals? Maybe we should give them a dunce cap to make the humiliation happen more fully? Times like this that make me optimistic about the future...
Meh, imo drunk driving should be lifetime loss of license, no exceptions. Though public ridicule on top wouldn't bother me, as a substitute it's just idiotic. Becuase they'll just want to get wasted to forget about the shame, won't they?
'Shame' of being found out used to be a major reason to stay law-abiding, it worked best in small communities where everybody knew each other. Now people are more mobile and often don't give a damn what the neighbours think it seems to have lost its edge. Still, a spot in the local press with mug-shots of all convicted and their address might help, not just drunken drivers but all crimes going through the local courts. Over here it's generally illegal to publish photos of young offenders. I wouldn't have a problem changing that. Might shame the parents into bringing their kid into line.
