(retrieved from the Ted Gest newsletter)
Maricopa County, Az., Sheriff Joe Arpaio, known for housing inmates in old military tents, now is establishing chain gangs of drunken driving convicts wearing pink shirts and performing burials of people who died of alcohol abuse, reports the Associated Press. Arpaio wants the chain gang to act as a deterrent to potential drunken drivers.
Pink shirts I can handle, but assisting in the burials of anyone seems a bit over the top for me. Even in the Wild West. The rationale behind the punishment is an increase in crime.
I know I am a crazy liberal, but I think that DUI courts may be a better alternative to mortuary duties. I know that Joe is popular, but I think this is bad policy. We have very little evidence that supports this type of scared straight, deterrence-based punishment. Treatment may not be as politically satisfying, but there is evidence that it can work.**Arizona had the sixth- highest number of alcohol-related fatalities in the nation last year at 585, up 15 percent from the previous year. In June, the state legislature passed one of the nation's toughest DUI laws, requiring ignition-interlock devices for first-time offenders, increased fines, and providing a minimum of 45 days in jail for some DUI convictions.
See the full story here - Associated Press/USA Today
** I am in no way implying that people should 'get off' for DUI offenses. I think that jail time and fines are appropriate, particularly for repeat offenders. I just don't know of any research that suggests that humiliation reduces crime. In fact, the labeling aspect of this type of punishment may have an opposite effect.
*** Yes, I have a Joe Bobble Head in my office.
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Actually, I have a big problem with the pink shirts, too. (Not to mention the pink underwear that inmates also are made to wear.)
Here's a quote from Sheriff Joe:
"Maybe this will warn people _ knock it off, don't drink and drive," Arpaio said. "You'll end up in pink underwear on the chain gang."
What's the intended message here? That drunk drivers are sissies? Unmasculine? Girly? Gay? Whichever it is, the whole thing is sexist and homophobic, and underscores how firmly rooted hegemonic masculinity is in this culture. The most direct way to shame and ridicule men is to call their masculinity into question by forcing them to wear pink -- the ultimate indignity.
And what of women who are convicted of DUI, I wonder? Clearly this strategy would not work for them, as it is "acceptable" for women to wear pink in the first place. What would Sheriff Joe suggest for them? Wearing blue? Not nearly as ignominious as men wearing pink, and that's the point.
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