NationStates Jolt Archive

The Multiland Leadership (aka government) is currently considering bringing back the pillory. Many people confuse the pillory and the stocks, but the former is where a person is standing and has the head and hands locked with wooden boards, the latter is where a person is sitting and their feet are also locked and may be chained. Both are in full view of the public. It is intended that the pillory will be used on busy market stalls.

The Leadership is also considering a parading every thief around in a cage that forms part of a lorry, with the following message coming from it: "Gather round, gather round, for THIEF in a cage. That's right, the THIEF in a cage! You're outside enjoying your freedom, and are not in a cage, but he/she is stuck in a cage! Thief in a cage!" or something similar.

The Leadership is interested in the opinions of other countries.

We are outraged by your ideas of what should be done to criminals. Criminal are criminals, but they are still humans. They still retain some human rights, such as the right not be subjected to a cruel and unusual punishment. Have you lost your idea of what Human Rights are? Or is that you believe the rights of non-sentient animals are more important?

-Parlament Swilajski.

We are outraged by your ideas of what should be done to criminals. Criminal are criminals, but they are still humans. They still retain some human rights, such as the right not be subjected to a cruel and unusual punishment. Have you lost your idea of what Human Rights are? Or is that you believe the rights of non-sentient animals are more important?

-Parlament Swilajski.

1. Animals are sentient

2. The Leadership of Multiland, and the majority of Multilandese citizens, believe the rights of animals and humans are both important. The proposed punishments merely humilate the criminals for a temporary period of time, they do not harm the criminals.

Multiland Leader

1. Animals are sentient

2. The Leadership of Multiland, and the majority of Multilandese citizens, believe the rights of animals and humans are both important. The proposed punishments merely humilate the criminals for a temporary period of time, they do not harm the criminals.

Multiland Leader

We must say, we find your claims to be rather amusing, but there are no possible rationales for your actions, so don't bother trying to defend them. As for saying they "do not harm" the criminals, that will not sway us. The concept of cruel and unusual punishment is not limited to merely ones that impose physical harm.

You should have no reason to respond, because as of now any further messsages from your country will be filed away in the "Misc." folder.

- Parlament Swilajski

Bostopia finds this decision highly amusing.

We would be willing to donate rotten vegetables to Multiland for use in such occasions of crime-deterrant.

We must say, we find your claims to be rather amusing, but there are no possible rationales for your actions, so don't bother trying to defend them. As for saying they "do not harm" the criminals, that will not sway us. The concept of cruel and unusual punishment is not limited to merely ones that impose physical harm.

You should have no reason to respond, because as of now any further messsages from your country will be filed away in the "Misc." folder.

- Parlament Swilajski

The rationale is simply to deter criminals - sometimes embarassment works better than locking them up. As the humilation is fairly minor and temporary, it does not cause any harm, physical or otherwise.

Bostopia finds this decision highly amusing.

We would be willing to donate rotten vegetables to Multiland for use in such occasions of crime-deterrant.

Whilst we appreciate your offer Bostopia, the Leadership does not want to turn these punishments into any form of violence - they will simply be used as humiliation.

Loo Spoo
Department of Departments

“Please find enclosed our catalogue of such items, generally designed for recreational usage. We are sure we can, however, produce a more rugged and indeed, escape proof design for ‘field use’ in the field of judicial punishment, at very reasonable prices.”

- Velyshaa-Domestic-Ironworks, producers of quality restraints

{OOCness: Human rights? Is locking people up for a few days and mocking them truly less humane than imprisoning them for months or years, and limiting their access to their families? I know which I'd preffer if I were a thief.}

Yes! Think of their rights! Voluntary redistributors of valuta in societies with backwards concepts of property ownership (better known as "thieves") shouldn't be locked up in any sort of cages, public, private, or kinky! They should be told in no uncertain terms never to do it again, and then given a vegetable oil-based cookie and some soy milk just in case their feelings were hurt by excessive chastisement! Some people would call this a slap on the wrist, and I am shocked and appalled and even sickened by the assertion--physical violence? How could anyone support such a thing, or even suggest our enlightened form of social suggestion (far be it from us to call it 'correction,' thus asserting that they're in the 'wrong,' they're merely acting contrary to arbitrary social measures) is anywhere near such barbarism?

~Mister Williamson
Chief Operating Officer
With Folded Hands Institute

* - * - *

Well, we make people pay fines in front of the Federal Courthouses and cane them in front of the same for higher petty crimes, so I guess you're just making it more visible, so to speak. A little bit of public shame cuts down recidivism a lot more than longer periods of incarceration or fines paid in private for petty fines, especially given how the social system tries to make it so very few people don't have to steal to survive.

It's our view that the purpose of a criminal justice system should be to rehabilitate criminals, not necessarily deter them (as deterrence is only spottily effective) or revenge against them or even simply isolate them from the rest of society (freeloading criminal systems are historically proven to be somewhat ineffective). As long as the guy remains fed and doesn't get too exposed to the elements, he can survive a bit of embarrassment. As infringements against human rights go (and all punishments infringe upon the ideals of that concept), one could do much, much worse.

It's my read of "cruel and unusual" in that such punishments violate the rule of law more than anything else. If a punishment is "cruel," that means it is being done with no empathy towards the one being punished. Humiliation is a very human emotion and like all punishments should be performed with moderation. "Unusual" is a purely relative term, thus preventing punishments outside the norm; if the usual punishment for stealing an apple would be an afternoon in the pillory, cutting the thief's hand off would be most unusual and unfair. Likewise, if the usual punishment for stealing an apple would be, say, a slap on the wrist, then singling someone out for the pillory would be unusual.

All punishments incur some level of emotional and psychological trauma. That should be their point: attach effect X to cause Y and thus prevent Y from becoming a problem ever again. Counseling on why Y is wrong and shouldn't be done is all well and good, but that operates on a higher cognitive level that can always be rationalized away. Instilling a more basic behaviorial response is more likely to be effective in general. Proper deterrence in the negative sense also requires an instantly recognizable emotional factor, as negative deterrence operates through fear of punishment.

Not that we feel fit to dictate criminal justice to other cultures (we merely suggest), but we wonder how Swilatia ensures that it does not harm its criminals whilst it paradoxically effectively punishes or rehabilitates them.

http://www.weirdozone.com/projects/nationstates/scolopendra/julius_razak.gifPseudoEmperor Julius M Razak
Operational Head, Federal Police
Federated Segments of Scolopendra

(P.S. Oh, and sorry about that rather... well... milquetoast WFHI guy; they won't be happy until we're all in soft padded rooms with nothing but harmless non-toxic plush toys to while away our days.

And yes, I can sound smart when I have to. --JMR)