Hello Shame!

I remember reading, quite a few years ago, about a judge in California who made a teen, convicted of shoplifting candy bars, wear a poster-board saying something along the lines of “I’m a thief, because I stole from XXXX store. Do not trust me.” This punishment was in lieu of jail time, probation, or fines. At the time, I thought the approach was pretty novel and ingenious to play on a teen’s pride. Nowadays, more judges shame those convicted of misdemeanors rather than hand out harsher penalties.

AP ran an interesting story (picked up by CNN.com) along the same veins. Police in Bangkok, Thailand risk shame and ridicule from their fellow officers as punishment for various infractions:

Thai police officers who break rules will be forced to wear hot pink armbands featuring "Hello Kitty," the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday.

Hello Kitty is not something "macho police officers want covering their biceps," a Thai police chief says.

Police officers caught littering, parking in a prohibited area, or arriving late -- among other misdemeanors -- will be forced to stay in the division office and wear the armband all day, said Police Col. Pongpat Chayaphan. The officers won't wear the armband in public.

The striking armband features Hello Kitty sitting atop two hearts.

When I first read this piece, I thought: Wow, if only we could make shame a more universal rule of punishment.

It seems like the traditional forms of punishment in our society does not work. I don’t need to cite prison recidivist statistics to prove our current court system seriously lacks. And, it’s not only in the blue-collar Midwest or gritty urban coasts that see this lack of criminal deterrence. Especially ambivalent to criminal behavior deterrence are the white-collar criminals, as well as government / public officials. If punishment hit harder home emotionally than a few years of prison time, a few million in fines, and the possibility of a Presidential pardon; then we might not see the likes of Jeff Skilling, Duke Cunningham, or I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

Instead, make them wear their badge of shame.

"Simple warnings no longer work. This new twist is expected to make them feel
guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how
minor," said Pongpat, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok.

"(Hello) Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It's not something macho
police officers want covering their biceps," Pongpat said.

We let these white-collar criminals off too easily, in my opinion. Sure, they’re paraded around during the media circus of who can announce the guilty verdict first. But, after that? Rarely do we see follow-ups in the media on how Jeff Skilling is doing in prison. Or how Duke Cunningham is working with the FBI to nab more grafters. Or how “Scooter” Libby was actually convicted of a criminal offence.

Instead, give them the Hello Kitty armband. To paraphrase Pongpat: Hello Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It’s not something power-hungry world leaders want covering their biceps.

Heck, let’s broaden the spectrum of who gets these armbands of shame. President’s approval rating hits below 35%? Give him an armband. The Attorney General obfuscates during a Congressional committee hearing? Give him an armband. A major presidential candidate flip-flops? Give him an armband.

Maybe the Hello Kitty armband could replace the disingenuous ribbon lapel pins sported by our business leaders, politicians, and government officials.