June 23rd, 2006
Public shaming via broadband: Ohio Judge puts sentencing hearings on YouTube
At one time in this nation, we used to shame our convicted criminals by hanging photos of them in public places. Or hanging them in public places.
While I certainly do not support the second option, it would appear that broadband technology offers a solution that offers the capability to view convicted defendants being lectured to by a judge, and then being sentenced to-hopefully-what they deserve.
In Medina, Ohio, Common Pleas Judge James Kimbler has explored this option by posting videos of sentencing hearings on the free video site YouTube.
In the example I’ve screen-capped at the top of this post, the Judge is sentencing Andrew C. Dukes, Jr.
"I think it is a good use of technology," Judge Kimbler tells the Cleveland (Oh.) Plain Dealer. Thus far, he’s posted three of his sentencing videos on YouTube.
Judge Kimbler then adds that posting sentencing hearings on YouTube will hopefully educate people about how the justice system works.
He did not add, but I will, that the ability to log on to YouTube and see a bad person being sentenced might offer deterrence capability.
If I was a school principal, maybe I would make these clips required viewing.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
