Consequences Should Match the Action
On the Today Show this morning I saw an interview with Judge Michael Cicconetti of Painesville, Ohio. He believes and doles out alternative sentences for people who are first offenders of non-violent crimes.
The particular case he was being interviewed about had to do with a woman who abandoned dozens of kittens in a local park. Because she left ID collars on the kittens, the police were able to track her down.
In court, although she expressed sorrow for what she’d done, the judge did not cut her any slack. He gave her a choice: She could serve 90 days in jail OR she could accept an alternate punishment.
What was the alternate punishment? Spend 14 days in the county jail, 15 days under house arrest AND spend one night alone in the woods… with no food, no shelter, no hot coffee. The only thing that will be provided her is drinking water and a walkie-talkie in case of emergency. She will also have to donate money to the local animal shelter and pay for park service fees to monitor her “overnight outing.”
The judge’s intention in using alternative sentencing is to make sure that the punishment fits the crime. In this case, the kittens were abandoned and left to survive on their own. So the woman would experience fear and uncertainty just as those tiny kittens had.
When the woman complained that it was inhumane for the judge to just toss her out into the woods, his response was to state that she, at least, had the opportunity to prepare for her abandonment. Those kittens didn’t. His advice to her? “Dress warm.”
In another case, Judge Cicconetti sentenced a young man who ran from police to train for and run in a 5k road race.
I must say, I like the unorthodox style of this judge. He matches the consequences with the unacceptable behavior.
How many times do we punish people for real or imagined infractions of our personal law with sentences that are too lenient or too severe? How many times do we give up a friendship or family relationship because of what seemed like a big deal when years later you realize it was just a small thing? How many times do we allow repeat offenders to keep committing the same crimes of disloyalty or unkindness?
Every action takes you in one direction or another. Are you going in the direction you want? Are you heading toward happiness and life satisfaction? If not, perhaps you need to sentence yourself to a life-changing consequence. One that makes you uncomfortable but shows you the error of your ways. Or one that teaches you perseverence or a new skill.
If the action is a healthy and useful one, the consequence will naturally be a positive one.
