“We are creating a culture where people feel constantly watched, where people are afraid to be themselves… This is not the culture we wanted. It’s a public culture that seems broken, but what can we do about it” (Blackford)? Public shaming is a form of punishment that results in public humiliation. This is a humiliating practice that has been around for centuries and is still used today. Shaming dates back to the 1620s, in the book The Scarlet Letter, where the Puritans used public shaming to punish sinners and lawbreakers for their religious wrongdoings. Public humiliation is illegal and overrated as a form of discipline used daily around the world. As a result, public humiliation is not an effective punishment because it affects everyone around the criminal, underestimates the intensity of a crime, and labels people as criminals, forcing them to act like one. For starters, public shame affects everyone around the criminal, not just themselves. When a criminal is publicly shamed, their family, friends, and community will also be publicly affected. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay For example, in The Scarlet Letter, the author states, “Hester, I am a dying man. So let me hurry and take your shame upon myself... Behold, the scarlet letter which Hester carries so miserably laden that she might have hoped to find rest. But there was one among you, at the sight of sin and infamy you did not shudder” (Hawthorne 197). Dimmesdale explains that he cannot bear the pain Hester feels because of the scarlet letter. The public punishment of Hester's crime has made Dimmesdale weak to the point that he wants to die. Even though the public punishment is Hester's, Arthur Dimmesdale is affected by it because he is a part of her life, going through it with her. Furthermore, the author of one article states: “In any case, the damage caused by public humiliation can be severe. Trust can be broken. Lives can be destroyed or permanently altered. In fact, experts say that public humiliation and shaming teach nothing but fear, and may even be worse forms of discipline than beatings” (Organ). Many people may not know this, but public shaming can extend to someone's life. The same author claims that a 13-year-old girl committed suicide after her father recorded a video of him cutting her hair as punishment. The girl's family was devastated and isolated from the father after this "punishment" because it went too far, to the point that none of them could take it anymore. Additionally, public shaming underestimates the intensity of a crime. Crimes are supposed to be frowned upon, but when they are publicly shown to embarrass the criminal, they are not taken seriously. For example, Professor Moskos, a professor at New York University, says: "If you were sentenced to five years in prison for everything you did or didn't do, and the judge gave you a choice between 10 lashes, what would you say? take? And almost everyone would choose eyelashes, but we don't allow it because we consider it cruel and unusual” (Some judges prefer). This shows how criminals can be released so easily by humiliating the public because it is less painful. In this case, criminals would rather be whipped than go to prison. A criminal will not learn his lesson if his crime is not taken seriously and considered acceptable. Second, in the book The ScarletLetter, Hawthorne states: "At the very least, they should have put the mark of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead." Mrs. Hester would have grimaced at that, I guarantee it. But she, the ugly baggage, doesn't matter what they put on the bodice of her dress” (44-45)! Hawthorne explains that a woman in the community thinks Hester is lucky for her punishment for her sin. She states that Hester should have gotten the. letter ironed on his forehead at least and should be grateful that he is not dead. This shows how Hester's crime is not considered serious because public punishment is not as serious as prison or death. Finally, public shaming labels someone a criminal, which can lead them to act like one. In the Scarlet Letter, when Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold, he declares: “May God forgive you! » declared the minister. You too have sinned deeply! . . God knows, and he is merciful! Above all, he has demonstrated his mercy in my afflictions. By giving me this burning torture to carry on my chest! » (Hawthorne 198-199). The public shame Hester endures also shames Dimmesdale privately. He thinks God gave him this torture to make him act more like he's supposed to be, a criminal. Shame drove Dimmesdale mad because of the shame that followed the crime of adultery for Hester and himself, making him feel more of a criminal than he really is. Second, a CBS2 News writer states, "A judge has a lot of power to create an unusual sentence because the statue says a judge can impose any other conditions reasonably related to the crime and the purpose of the sentence imposed...It's shame. effect. There is research all over the world and countries that tend to have a shaming effect tend to have less recidivism and less crime” (Earl). This shows how many judges will publicly shame innocent people for the smallest of crimes. Misdemeanors such as littering, walking, or unpaid parking tickets are small misdemeanors that can be solved with fines, but judges profit from public shaming, making lawful citizens feel like criminals for small, harmless actions they took. In contrast, opposing arguments suggest that public humiliation is an effective form of punishment because it causes the criminal to become aware of his crime and not commit it again. We can think this because punishments such as holding signs, wearing costumes and announcing a crime to the public will show what the person did, which is embarrassing, rather than staying in a prison cell for 5 years. Professor Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School, says: “I think that's the key. But the point of incarceration, ironically, is to shame someone...the idea of ​​locking someone in a cage and somehow, magically, assuming that he'll get better, that's why we invented prisons in the first place. But we know it doesn’t work” (Some judges prefer). However, this is neither true nor effective because public punishment is far less severe than countless years in prison. Having a criminal in prison, away from society, will make him regret his crime instead of letting him be free in the world. The same author also states: “And I mean, the purpose of prison – there are really three purposes. The first is to rehabilitate prisoners, and we know from research that that doesn't work. The other is to keep truly dangerous and evil people away from us… and the third is to allow society to express its disapproval, and to do so – that is, to punish someone – we.