People are calling it the shame law.
Beginning today, DUI offenders in this state will be forced to wear an orange vest branded with 4 inch letters that spell out - I am a DRUNK DRIVER - while they pick up litter on the roadside. Of course, this law will not apply to Titans players, the sons of Police Chiefs, or legislators.
Given the extensive press coverage this story has received, I think it's safe to say that shame laws are normally found in countries like Iran and North Korea.
Tennessee has some lawmakers that the public would very much like to send to Iran and North Korea.
Democratic State Sen. Charlotte Burks sponsored the shameful law. Unfortunately, many Democrats in this state are so punitive and ill-informed that they could easily qualify to be Republicans. Yes, Governor Bredesen, you qualify.
If the law doesn't work, legislators can always try branding foreheads with the letters - DUI. This might give them a nice little break from kicking their dogs.
It looks like 2006 is going to be another fun year.
CNN International:
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- A new Tennessee law is enlisting the power of shame to discourage drunken driving -- even the governor, law enforcement officials and various experts are calling it an expensive and bad idea.
Starting Sunday, convicted drunken drivers are required to do 24 hours of roadside cleanup while wearing orange vests emblazoned with the phrase "I am a Drunk Driver."
The new law is aimed at first-time offenders, says one of its sponsors, state Rep. Charles Curtiss.
"You cause them to go out and pick up trash in front of their friends and neighbors, the embarrassment is going to be such that they're never going to want to go through that again," Curtiss said. "Hopefully you can turn them around to never become a second-time offender."
But shaming offenders without more meaningful treatment programs could have the opposite effect, said Jacqueline Helfgott, chairwoman of the criminal justice department at Seattle University.
"If I'm forced to wear a sign saying that I'm a drunk driver, then I'm going to feel worse and worse about myself and I may drink more and more because I feel shunned," she said.
Jeanne Mejeur, a research manager at the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver, Colorado, said Tennessee's law "is pretty much a unique program nationally."
The bill becomes law without Gov. Phil Bredesen's signature.
The Tennessee Sheriffs' Association is concerned that the law will increase counties' costs and create record-keeping headaches.
... Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, whose agency runs the 690-inmate Metro Jail in Nashville, said annual costs could reach $200,000 for his county and $2 million statewide under the new law. Hall also disagrees with the idea of trying to shame offenders into not driving drunk again, instead of treating them.
"At the end of the weekend we're going to have a person who has picked up a lot of litter, but is still addicted to alcohol," he said.
As you drive to out-of-state grocery stores in order to escape the highest food tax in the nation, do remember to wave to some of your publicly humiliated neighbors, friends and family members.
Hat tip to Talkleft
Shame Law Drunk Driving Tennessee Politics DUI Bredesen Charlotte Burks Tennessee Democrats Bad Laws
