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Drunk Driver Made to Wear Sign Saying He Killed a Man

Chiefgator

Chiefgator

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A *man from Houston who killed a man while driving drunk has been ordered to wear a sign saying, "I killed Aaron Coy Pennywell while driving drunk."

Michael Giacona, 39, ran a red light* and hit 20-year-old Pennywell last June.

Giacona spent 90 days in prison, but in addition to the prison sentence, Harris County Court-at-Law Judge Michael R. Fields ordered Giacona to wear the sign during four consecutive Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the scene of the crime.
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How is this NOT considered "cruel and unusual"???
 
There is plenty of precedent for judges using public shame as a form of punishment.

"Cruel and unusual" is rather subjective, as I'm sure everyone agrees.
 
Chiefgator said:
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How is this NOT considered "cruel and unusual"???
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He is probably doing a lot better than the innocent victim.

But I know, nobody should be responsible for their stupid behavior.
 
IMO, he got off light. 90 days in jail and a few Saturdays of public humiliation are nothing in comparison to willfully and knowingly making himself unsafe and causing the death of another.
 
tessaesque said:
IMO, he got off light. 90 days in jail and a few Saturdays of public humiliation are nothing in comparison to willfully and knowingly making himself unsafe and causing the death of another.
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Justice was served. 90 days in the slammer doesn't factor squat
 
Chiefgator said:
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How is this NOT considered "cruel and unusual"???
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Umm he could have gone to prison for YEARS for vehicular homicide. He got 90 days. If YOU were in his position, which sentence would you rather get? Say, 5 years in prison...or 90 days in a local jail plus a few weekends of public shaming?

I think the American prison system, with all of its cages and gang violence and sexual slavery, is far more "cruel and unusual" than a little public shaming...IMO we should see a lot *more* public shaming in lieu of prison sentences. But that's a topic for another thread.
 
I'd make him wear a sign that says "I killed Aaron Coy Pennywell and all I got was this lousy sign."
 
Kandahar said:
Umm he could have gone to prison for YEARS for vehicular homicide. He got 90 days. If YOU were in his position, which sentence would you rather get? Say, 5 years in prison...or 90 days in a local jail plus a few weekends of public shaming?

I think the American prison system, with all of its cages and gang violence and sexual slavery, is far more "cruel and unusual" than a little public shaming...IMO we should see a lot *more* public shaming in lieu of prison sentences. But that's a topic for another thread.
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Personally, I'd like to see anyone who caused a major accident while DWI ought to have their car painted so it glows in the dark. At least we could all see 'em comin'.

I agree with you. The guy should've been in jail for five years. At least he'd'a come out sober.
 
The 90 day sentence was insanely light. But, I still do not agree with a "scarlet letter".
 
Chiefgator said:
The 90 day sentence was insanely light. But, I still do not agree with a "scarlet letter".
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How is holding a sign for a few weekends and catching scornful glances from passersby more cruel than being locked in a cage and sodomized for years?
 
Chiefgator said:
How is this NOT considered "cruel and unusual"???
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The truth is never cruel, thought I agree it appears man find 'the truth' to be an unusual and infrequent thing to see.

90 days in prison? That's it? Horrible, should be locked away for at least a decade. Scum of the earth the murder is and all.
 
Kandahar said:
Umm he could have gone to prison for YEARS for vehicular homicide. He got 90 days. If YOU were in his position, which sentence would you rather get? Say, 5 years in prison...or 90 days in a local jail plus a few weekends of public shaming?

I think the American prison system, with all of its cages and gang violence and sexual slavery, is far more "cruel and unusual" than a little public shaming...IMO we should see a lot *more* public shaming in lieu of prison sentences. But that's a topic for another thread.
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I agree and disagree. These days we mostly live in large cities (over 30,000) and thus the scenario is very different than the days of Hester Prynne. Because of the sheer number of people, we are in many ways anonymous so this sort of thing has no lasting effect on the greater society and may or may not lead the perpetrator to feel remorse.
 
It grates my last nerve and every moral fiber in my being knowing that my cousin has spent the last 20 years in an institution - cut down at his prime while he was a teen because of a drunk driver. . . and he will spend the rest of his life reliant on others and unable to comprehend the passage of time and support himself. His family has fallen apart: the cost for his care is too much for the entire family to shoulder, his family has been destroyed and will never be made whole again.

Meanwhile: the drunk driver who hit him - he's fine: he has kids, they're happy, their whole family is doing great. He has a career, his life is moving forward - he's moved on from his drunk one night that destroyed my cousin and his entire family. Moving on - like it didn't happen: his time in jail - done . . . his punishment - served. His life is candy, now . . . he can sleep in late, breath the fresh air, and make ends meet. He doesn't have to give up his home, he doesn't have to worry endlessly about his son dying from complications, he doesn't have to live with but a fleck of guilt that *maybe* he feels.

90 days? 90 days for destroying a life all for the sake of a few drinks? Wearing a sign? There's nothing that can justify the foul injustice that happens when one person utterly destroys the lives of countless others because of some stupid, selfish desires. . . it's disgusting that people feel a sign is 'too much'

My ass it's too much - it's not enough.
 
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MaggieD said:
Personally, I'd like to see anyone who caused a major accident while DWI ought to have their car painted so it glows in the dark. At least we could all see 'em comin'.

I agree with you. The guy should've been in jail for five years. At least he'd'a come out sober.
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Agree. Perhaps there should be a neon sign on the roof of the car similar to the pizza delivery sign on cars. That way others could see this idiot coming down the road and take defensive measures.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
90 days? 90 days for destroying a life all for the sake of a few drinks? Wearing a sign? There's nothing that can justify the foul injustice that happens when one person utterly destroys the lives of countless others because of some stupid, selfish desires. . . it's disgusting that people feel a sign is 'too much'

My ass it's too much - it's not enough.
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You can debate academically all day--that makes no difference at the end of the day on the outcome. Whether you accept the Judge's decision is neither here nor there...He delivered, the verdict, not you.. not us, and no amount of academic discussion is going to change it.
 
Chiefgator said:
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How is this NOT considered "cruel and unusual"???
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I think he got off pretty light. 90 days in a prison and have to hold a sign up for 8 hours for 4 days is pretty light punishment for someone who got drunk,willfully drove drunk and killed someone.
 
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ric27 said:
You can debate academically all day--that makes no difference at the end of the day on the outcome. Whether you accept the Judge's decision is neither here nor there...He delivered, the verdict, not you.. not us, and no amount of academic discussion is going to change it.
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We can always push for mandatory minimum sentences.So discussions can have a change.
 
The judge who only gave him 90 days for this crime should have to wear a sign saying "I only gave Giacona 90 days for killing someone while driving

This was not his first DWI. The 90 day sentence is ridiculous.
 
the drunk driver should be forced to pay restitution to his victim's family AND serve jail time. 90 days for killing someone, what a terrible precident to set.
 
I hate it when some damn judge does crap like this to get his/her name in the newspaper for political reasons - and that's what it is all about.
 
IMHO shaming, stocks, signs, caning, indentured servitude etc. are far better solutions than incarceration. Dangerous people need to be locked up. Prison is used as a one size fits all solution in America because profits are always the most important thing. We really need to try alternatives.
 
jamesrage said:
We can always push for mandatory minimum sentences.So discussions can have a change.
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Good, but right now, the DOJ's goal is to see that justice is served. By that I mean that rights are respected, laws followed and that our system of jurisprudence is allowed to work as designed.

90 day jail time was applied...end of story.
 
ric27 said:
Good, but right now, the DOJ's goal is to see that justice is served. By that I mean that rights are respected, laws followed and that our system of jurisprudence is allowed to work as designed.

90 day jail time was applied...end of story.
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yes and its a terrible story, hence why we're talking about it.
 
I would support him wearing a shirt that says "I killed Aaron Coy Pennywell while driving drunk," everyday for the rest of his life. Humiliation is a great deterrent. Ask yourself how often you would do something if the consequences would be shame?

Oh, and the 90 day sentence was criminal. The judge should be jailed.
 
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