Shame-based punishment appropriate

After a tragic accident in Butler County, the district attorney’s office is taking a unique… After a tragic accident in Butler County, the district attorney’s office is taking a unique approach to punishment.

On June 15, 2003, Jennifer Dawn Langston, who had been drinking and was talking on her cell phone, lost control of her pickup truck and collided head-on with a vehicle Glenn Clark was driving. Clark was killed, and his wife Annette is still in a coma – doctors believe she has no hope of recovery. While in her coma, Annette gave birth to Michael Anthony.

A simple, cut-and-dried conviction of vehicular homicide carrying a mandatory sentence of three years would seem appropriate – but in this case, it was impossible. It took nearly two hours after the crash to get Langston’s blood-alcohol level tested, making the results next to useless and the case against her quite weak.

Instead, the D.A.’s office and the families of the victims have come up with an appropriate way to punish Langston.

In addition to a 30-day jail sentence, six months of house arrest and five years of probation, Langston is required to pay $50 a month to Michael Anthony, who is being raised by an aunt and uncle.

She must also carry a picture of Glenn and Annette in her wallet, place flowers on the crash site every year on the anniversary of the crash for the next five years, stay out of bars and taverns that serve alcohol, send a letter of apology to Mars Area High School – where Glenn Clark was a gym teacher and wrestling coach – and spend eight hours each month either working with trauma victims or speaking to the community about the dangers of drunk driving.

Since the case against Langston was so weak, this shame-based approach to punishing her is ideal. If she has any remorse in her heart, this punishment will keep her mistake fresh in her mind. The potential for her to be actually rehabilitated, if she takes her punishment seriously, is far greater than if she were to spend three years rotting in an overcrowded jail.

Rather than being a burden on taxpayers by further clogging jails, Langston has the potential to, not only change herself, but also affect others by speaking out against drunk and irresponsible behavior.

If Langston doesn’t take her punishment seriously, she’s still facing jail time, house arrest and probation – which, in the face of regrettably useless evidence, are the least she can be made to bear.