I have repeatedly written against the use of shaming and novel sentencing by judges around the country (here and here and here). Judges often thrill the public by imposing their own forms of justices — departing from conventional criminal sentences to force people to clean courtrooms with toothbrushes, wear demeaning placards, or carry out publicly humiliating tasks. These judges often develop a taste for such power and the public acclaim that unfortunately comes from humiliating people.
As with other judges imposing her own flavor of justice, Branch sentenced the woman and then took to the air for interviews. She explained “We don’t have a whole lot of resources out here, so I try to be creative.”
King had pleaded guilty to being drunk and disruptive as well as resisting a police officer outside a convenience store. She was also accused of stealing a beer before struggling with a police officer. That does not seem like a problem with being “a lady” but being a felon.
However, Branch wanted the woman to do what she wanted as opposed what the criminal code states. So she sentenced King to 45 days in jail and suspended the sentence in lieu of a one-year supervised probation and her essay. Branch has previously made kids write essays but now is branching out to adults. In Fairfax county, ladies need to act more like Lady Halifax who was not seen stealing grog or kicking police officers in the eighteenth century.
The suspended sentence is the common tactic used for these judges. Citizens who want to avoid jail have to consent to the novel sentencing and thereby ruin their chances for appeal. They get to stay out of jail, the judge gets to appear in the newspaper, and the public gets to enjoy the story. No one seems concern over how different judges may define a proper lady and how such notions can invite sexist or cultural bias. Consider the lessons on raising a lady by Pastor Jack Hyles :
“The women’s liberation notwithstanding most men still want someone ladylike and feminine for a wife. To be sure, all good Christian men want submissive, feminine, ladylike, and godly wives. Yet, we live in a society which wants to homogenize the sexes.”
Pastor Hyles offers a variety of pieces of advice:
1. Dress her like a girl. Let her have long hair. Let her wear lace and ribbons. Do not let her wear that which pertaineth to a man. Deuteronomy 22:5 says, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”
2. Teach her strict obedience. . . . Whereas the boy is being trained to be a leader, the girl is being trained to be a follower. Hence, obedience is far more important to her, for she must someday transfer it from her parents to her husband.
3. She should not be allowed to play alone with boys. . . .She should participate in sports enough to become coordinated but she should not excel in sports. If later she marries a man who is very athletic, she could become more proficient in some particular sport that he enjoys, but if she becomes an expert in a sport that is usually associated with men and boys, it could prove embarrassing to her future husband, and for that matter, it could entice her to become more masculine than she ought to be.
. . .
5. Teach her to be an intelligent listener and an articulate conversationalist. She should read a variety of good books and magazines and have a wide variety of knowledge. . . This means that she should learn all she can about everything, especially things that interest men. For example, she should know football, but she should not play it. There is nothing a man wants any more than to be understood by an intelligent listener.
Well you get the idea . . .
These novel sentences are increasing because the media loves these stories and fuels the trend with publicity for the judges. It is a symbiotic relationship that is undermining the quality of justice in this country.
It is not clear if Lyle Lovett appeared as a witness at the proceedings:
Source: LA Times