You are here
Activity 2: Alternative Punishments
Activity 2: What would you do? Alternative Punishments
- Time frame: Approximately 30 Minutes
- Setting: Online or face-to-face
- Learning Objective 10.2: Describe the main forms of punishment that were most frequently used prior to the rise of incarceration.
- Source: Chapter 10 from Criminal (In)Justice: A Critical Introduction, 2e
by Aaron Fichtelberg
What would you do?
You have been caught red-handed stealing alcohol from a liquor store. The other day you grabbed a case of beer and tried to make a run for it. In trying to escape, however, you knocked over a clerk and caused him to break his leg. There’s no denying that you are responsible. There’s also no denying that this is your third offense—you’ve gotten into a bit of trouble over the past couple of years.
You come to the courthouse to meet with your lawyer, where she sits you down. “I’m not going to lie,” she says. “There is a chance you could do some real time for this. I’m going to meet with the prosecutor to discuss your case, but I can’t promise you good results. I suspect that you will probably spend about a year in prison for this.”
Your attorney goes into a meeting with the prosecutor, and after a few minutes, she calls you in. They’re trying a new approach to dealing with people who commit offenses like you, she says. You can avoid prison if you agree to pay for the clerk’s injuries and lost work time. Also, however, you must wear a T-shirt that says, “I am a thief—I cannot be trusted not to steal from you,” with the logo of the Department of Corrections and a police contact number, every day for 10 years. You must wear it outside of your clothes, so it is always visible, and every time you walk into a store, you must speak to the cashier and show her your shirt. The Department of Corrections will randomly monitor your compliance with this order, and a failure to wear the shirt or talk to store employees will lead to a five-year prison sentence.
Your attorney says that this is very unusual, but it is your only option to avoid prison. She leaves it up to you, however.
- Do you take the deal? Why or why not?
- Do you think this punishment would serve any of the goals for punishment discussed in the introduction to this section (that is, deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, or retribution)?
Learn more about the Criminal (In)Justice: A Critical Introduction, Second Edition:
Free lecture launchers to help spark meaningful classroom discussion.