Chapter 3 Punishments: A Brief History
As part of the Juvenile Justice Act, judges have more room for leniency in sentences with less than one year in confinement. As a result, judges like Niles Aubrey are using humiliation tactics as part of the offender's punishment. Aubrey sentenced a youthful car thief to 90 days in a detention center, a $100 fine, and 16 months of supervision during which time he has to wear a visible sign saying "I'm a car thief." Some experts say that a sentence such as this can do more harm than good because it reinforces the youth's self-image as a thief.