Ohio Theft & Shoplifting Penalites Include Shaming
A Fulton County Judge has come up with an interesting albeit unusual way to punish thieves. He has grown accustomed to sentencing them to a new wardrobe. Okay, it’s only one shirt, but it’s what is on the shirts that has some people questioning his methods.
Being convicted of theft or shoplifting in his county could get you a brand new t-shirt in Judge Jeff Robinson’s court. The shirts are fluorescent yellow and read “I am a Thief” on them. Offenders are being required to wear the shirts while performing community service hours.
Ordering someone to community service is not unusual. Telling them to wear a shirt like this, is. This article from the Toledo Blade details Judge Robinson isn’t the first judge to come up with some unique sentencing involving clothing and it’s pretty likely he won’t be the last.
The shirts are loaned out and must be returned in good condition. Even when outdoors on bad weather days, offenders sentenced to the shirts cannot cover them with jackets or coats. They cannot loan out the t-shirts as a joke either.
Judge Robinson points out he saw a rise in shoplifting cases within his county when the economy started to falter. Since he began using the shirts, there has been a decrease. Even he, however, doesn’t think this is solely due to the shirts; police have cracked down as well.
Typically, a shoplifting offense that involves anything up to $500 is considered a misdemeanor and is punishable by up to 6 months in jail. It’s pretty common for first time offenders to get off without doing jail time, however.
Public shame is far from a new penalty. People have been shamed for their crimes since before our country was even included on maps. And there is no doubt that wearing a t-shirt like this would be embarrassing.
If you are facing theft charges in Fulton county or any other county in our state, call me today. You may be able to avoid jail time and hopefully you can avoid the garish yellow shirts of Judge Robinson’s court.
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