Shame Is Worth a Try

Dan M. Kahan argues in his article “Shame Is Worth a Try” that people who understand the potential of shaming know that it is “cheap, efficient, and an appropriate alternative to short jail sentences” (571).

Any crime that is committed must have a punishment linked to it to avoid a repeat of the offense. Serious crimes, for example, those that involve a murder obviously need the jail sentence that comes along with them. Nonviolent crimes, such as theft or littering could receive cheap and personal punishments with the implementation of shaming.

Those against shaming are mostly those that view it as a worse and demeaning punishment compared to imprisonment. They would typically support a punishment that would seem more discrete to those the offender knows but shaming is a more personal punishment. Instead of a short sentence in custody, the offender would be required to announce their crime to the public in some manner.

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Shaming in some cases “doesn’t seem to hurt as much as imprisonment” (573); imprisonment not only makes the offender feel the shame of the crime they committed, but it also takes away their ability to continue supporting their family. Living in a prison cell won’t allow the offender to continue on in their life. With a jail sentence, a criminal must change their entire life. They must find someone willing to pay their bills, and take care of their children while they are locked up. This not only hurts the offender but it makes it very difficult to continue their life afterwards.

Shaming, like any other punishment, is just as susceptible to overuse in some cases. Using shaming in a way that is outrageous as in public flogging or putting an offender in stocks does not help the offender at all. This only hurts the individual and does not provide any shame for the crime. Also, using shaming alongside a jail sentence is not only more harmful to the offender but it also decreases the cost efficiency of the punishment. In “Shame Is Worth a Try”, Dan M. Kahan provides well executed examples of how using shame instead of a short prison sentence is cheaper and just as efficient but not the views of the opposition. Kahan first shows how shaming is currently used in the American judiciary system.

Kahan’s first example is from Wisconsin, where a person caught stealing from their employer will be required to wear a sign around them stating their offense (571). Another example Kahan uses is the fact that drunk drivers in both Texas and Florida and required to place a bumper stick on their car, for a period of time, stating their DUI to the public (571). And finally Kahan states, “Refusing to pay child-support in Virginia will get you a boot on your car, pink for an abandoned girl and blue for a boy” (572). The examples show just how shaming is picking up in some states in America. Kahan also addresses the violent crimes and their punishments. He reassures the reader that all violent crimes will continue with the same long term imprisonment as they do now.

Kahan, along with the examples of shaming, provides statistics that support his cause. Studies performed at the University of Oklahoma state that shaming provides a greater pressure for the general public to comply with the law (573). The threat that one’s neighbors would find out of his or hers offense will keep most offenders from committing the act they planned to do.

On the negative side, Kahan seems to be fairly one sided with his examples in this article. He only provides the fact that shaming can be overdone if used alongside imprisonment. I also believe that he could have shown more examples of the “pointlessly degrading” tactics that could have been used as a shaming device (573).

Even though Kahan’s article is very one sided, I would still recommend this article to other college students. I wouldn’t recommend it as a source for alternatives to imprisonment but I might offer it as an example of how to prove one’s point with limited examples. This article is a prime model of how an author can use examples to prove one’s point and persuade their reader. Again, it lacks the full view of the opposition but it is still very convincing.

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