Posted on 12/31/2005 5:18:21 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A new Tennessee law is enlisting the power of shame to discourage drunken driving — even though law enforcement, the governor and various experts are calling it an expensive and bad idea.
Starting Jan. 1, 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."
But shaming offenders without more meaningful treatment programs could have the opposite effect, said Jacqueline Helfgott, chairwoman of the criminal justice department at Seattle University.
"If I'm forced to wear a sign saying that I'm a drunk driver, then I'm going to feel worse and worse about myself and I may drink more and more because I feel shunned," she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Can I just get the T-shirt?
Wait, I have a better idea! I'll SELL the T-shirts.
Here in Tennesse, folks love orange. Why? Becaue you can wear it to the UT game on Saturday, wear it out hunting in the woods on Sunday and then wear it again on Monday picking up trash out along the side of the road
Change Tennessee to Texas and the statement is still true! Our states have come a long way together though we send better people to the senate!!! ;-)
Can we force Ted Kennedy to wear one on the floor of the Senate?
Only if those elected state, county, & city officials caught do so have to sing the "Tennessee Waltz" & "Rocky Top" while picking up the litter :>} Starting in Memphis of course :>}
Lawmakers felt that having offenders pick up trash would save the cost of keeping them behind bars, Curtiss said.
An individual subsequently so motivated (read: pissed off) by the state and the program could conceivably cost them a LOT more money than what they're thinking they're going to save.
(disclaimer: I do not advocate violence; but will merely enjoy seeing the state experience well-earned 'unintended consequences')
"I'm a Keating-Five member"
"I drowned my campaign-worker"
"I'm for unlimited illegal immigration - and that's PRESIDENT [expletive]-head to YOU! ¿Comprendé?"
Except for the announcement on the vest, DWI's doing highway clean-up in this manner has been standard practice in CA for years.
They are not identified as dwi's here either. And I think they may be given a choice of serving time or cleaning up litter.
Do they make them that big?
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