Crime Punishment: Shame Is Worth a Try Critical Essay

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There has been a constant rise in the number of crimes committed in everyday life. With little or no attention paid to the possible causes of such crimes, the majority of people including those within the law enforcement authorities have become more careful in devising serious penalties.

Provoked by the penalties set against different crimes, Dan M. Kahan expresses his view in an essay, “Shame is Worth a Try,” where he advocates for a new method whose effectiveness is to be subjected to scrutiny. The effectiveness of shame as punishment would be determined through reasoning, questions, and comparison with other penalties already existing.

Kahan in his essay argues in support of his claim that shame as form of crime punishment is less costly; it is more effective and more humane hence restoring the dignity of a person that has been lost when committing a crime. Shame provides an alternative to imprisonment as a form of punishment.

The use of shame to punish criminals consists in informing people of crimes committed by individuals by means of daily press. Individuals caught by the police driving under the influence of alcohol may also be put to shame by hanging stickers informing the public about such behaviors. Kahan holds a strong belief that no matter how hurting shame may be to the criminals, it is by far one of the most effective criminal deterrents.

As a major defense of his claim on shame as a punishment method, Kahan asserts that victims of imprisonment, whether criminals or not criminals, have found it a tall order to regain their lost dignity and integrity. The people freed from prisons have been reported to face great challenges in their attempts to reunite with the other law abiding citizens.

According to Kahan, this is attributed to the lost of trust and respect among the rest of the community members. Kahan, therefore, proposes that the use of shame as punishment is put to trial and if found effective, must be implemented as an alternative to the imprisonment. Kahan points out the negative and dehumanizing consequences associated with such acts.

On the other hand, there is yet another aspect of family lives to be taken into consideration. Gibbs highlights in his article “The Magic of the Family Meal,” in the famous Time Magazine, that beyond any reasonable doubt, common and frequent family meals play a vital role in making up a successful family.

The article by Gibbs plays a pivotal role to readers providing the opportunities to learn and appreciate the need for daily family meals. Children who have the chance to share common meals with their parents and the other siblings have been reported to show better grade performances in their studies. In addition to better grades, such children are positive and their general well being can be considered good.

Gibbs in her work seemed to be relentless with facts which could be attributed to the fact that Gibbs was willing to show the readers the magnitude of the issue. Gibbs works reveal that children who eat together with their parents have showed excellent performance with grades A’s and B’s when passing their examinations.

Furthermore, family meals also play a major role in shaping the behavior of the children. The frequent parental contact helps to get rid of wrong behaviors such as smoking. Gibbs emphasizes in her article the fact that rates of smoking, drinking, and indulging in drugs is low amongst children who are actively involved in family activities, among which eating is one of the most important.

Summing up, it might be pinpointed that this article provided the readers with a different point of view concerning family ties. Gibbs admits that it may sometimes be quite cumbersome for the family to gather for a dinner, at the same time, not hesitating to conclude that the family meal is a very imperative routine.

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IvyPanda. (2018, November 20). Crime Punishment: Shame Is Worth a Try. https://ivypanda.com/essays/critical-response/

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IvyPanda. 2018. "Crime Punishment: Shame Is Worth a Try." November 20, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/critical-response/.

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