Tennessee to Shame Drunk Drivers Today
Tennessee's new shaming law applicable to drunk drivers goes into effect today.
Starting Sunday, convicted drunken drivers are required to spend 24 hours cleaning roadsides while wearing orange vests emblazoned with the phrase "I am a Drunk Driver." 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," said state Rep. Charles Curtiss (D). "Hopefully you can turn them around to never become a second-time offender."
...Tennessee offenders will have to spend at least one day in jail, followed by three eight-hour cleanup shifts. The previous minimum sentence for driving under the influence was 48 hours in jail.
No, that's not how it will work. It will cause a group of people to hate authrority and be bitter over the shaming treatment which will reduce their self esteem. And, as one cop says,
"At the end of the weekend, we're going to have a person who has picked up a lot of litter but is still addicted to alcohol," he said.
Treatment, not shame, is the answer.
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