June Tangney's Condemn The Crime, Not The Person

In “Condemn the Crime, Not the Person,” June Tangney argues that shaming sentences worsen the situation instead of “fostering constructive change.” According to Tangney, shaming sentences for nonviolent crimes-supported by judges and social commentators-such as “offenders [parading] around in public carrying signs broadcasting their crimes,” are cheaper and more effective substitutes to the prison sentences. She explains that in order to understand shaming sentences, it is important to know the difference between shame and guilt. Shaming sentences, which is intended to induce feeling of shame emphasizing on humiliating oneself and reflecting oneself as a bad person, is often followed by “a sense of shrinking, of being worthless...” As a result,