I don't know if it will do any good in stopping other people from drinking and driving, but I'm all for anything that gives hope. Michael Giacona was ordered by a judge to wear the sign pictured above for four consecutive weekends at the exact spot he killed the 20 year old. The man was only sentenced to 90 days in jail for the crime which is a crime in itself. 90 days in jail for killing someone? I'm all for the sign thing but how about a longer jail sentence. You took a life and because you did it while drinking you get three months but if I went to a bar and killed someone I could spend 20 years in jail. How does that make sense? The first weekend that Giacona wears the sign, the mother of the victim will watch him all day. Hopefully she will get some closure, although if I was her, I think I would not want to see it because it would make sad.
i actually like this idea. to have to face people with what you have done is so much harder than sitting in a jail cell.
ReplyDeleteMe too. Bring back public shame.
ReplyDeleteThere's way too much white space on that sign. I would have used a much larger font and filled up that space to really get the point across.
ReplyDeleteThree months served for killing someone is an outrage. I hope that the mom is allowed to throw rocks at him while she watches him that day.
If I were her I'd hold up a sign saying I was the victim's mother.
ReplyDeleteI agree with nolachickee and Vicki. She should hold up a sign but then again, maybe that would take away from people reading his sign. If you are driving by and can only read one, what if you read hers and not his?
ReplyDeleteI love this site because there are stories you don't find on any other site but the typos in the posts are killing me. Not just typos but missing words.
@Vicki, then people might spend time talking to her instead of yelling at him.
ReplyDelete@nolachickee, agreed - ugly sign. They really couldn't do better than that?
I imagine the public shaming aspect was already accomplished with the various news and newspaper reports which I'm sure also featured his photo. I'd prefer something more substantial and beneficial in lieu of an extended jail sentence, such as mandatory counseling in conjunction with community service for at least a year speaking at high schools and such, serving as a warning to others.
ReplyDeleteMind boggling. For this to be anything less than a felony is just outrageous.
ReplyDeleteObviously walking into a bar and killing someone is not the same as accidental vehicular manslaughter but dead is dead.
ReplyDeleteThe public shaming has definitely got to be worse than staying in a jail cell.
he should have gotten WAY MORE JAIL TIME than that, no matter that he has to wear the sign.
ReplyDeleteI think that space is for a photo of the victim.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the judge was bound by sentencing restrictions, which SUCKS, but at least he came up with a creative way to make a stronger impact on the guy. I wish California judges would start doing this since our jails are so overcrowded.
Years ago I read a story about a judge who sentenced a 14 yr old boy who was caught painting graffiti to be responsible for that same wall for 90 days. He learned his lesson quickly because he was cleaning and painting that wall just about every day. By the time his 90 days was up, he said the sight of graffiti anywhere made him angry and sick to his stomach. So much better than any jail time would have done.
Oh FS that's a great story.
ReplyDeleteThe judge should have to wear a sign stating " I only gave a murderer 3 months in jail...capitalism"
ReplyDeleteI would gave him more than 4 weekends. Every weekend for a whole year, rain or shine.
ReplyDeleteThis is good. I'm sure the guy never wanted to kill anyone, but actions have consequences, and you kill someone, you should do penance. That life was precious, and did not deserve to be snuffed out because of another's ill-conceived actions.
ReplyDeleteThe public shaming practiced in "ye olden days" (Puritan Massachusetts, for example) went a long way toward curbing people's misdeeds. The Scarlet Letter, the ducking stool, stock and pillories...there's something about having everybody you know watch you being humiliated in public that might be a real deterrent.
ReplyDeleteMy dad once ruminated about bringing back branding people for their crimes, at which point my brother said, "In that case, Overtime Parking would carry a heavier sentence than Murder!"
This isn't really public shaming, but I remember a story that involved a drunk driver who killed a an 18 yr old girl and he wasn't sentenced to to do much time, but he had to write a check for $1 every month to her parents for 18 years so he'd have to remember what he did.
ReplyDeleteIf you have lost your child under any circumstances, there is no closure. Losing him at 20 years of age to a drunk driver is a nightmare that never ends.
ReplyDeleteIt would be true irony if he got hit by a drunk driver while standing there.
ReplyDeleteIs Michael a celebrity? Maybe that's why he got off so easily.
ReplyDelete