Punishment can be a virtue

No wonder, the title would have caught you by surprise. How can something, that people usually avoid and see in negative light, can ever be a virtue? And punishment is anyways accompanied by embarrassment and guilt, right? However, at the core of it, punishment is meant to help the offender improve and self-reflect. I am not sure if punishments in various contexts around the world serve this purpose.

I recently came across a social media post on how one US judge has established an example on how punishments must be given. Being curious, I tried searching more about it. In 2018, five teenagers in Virginia had defaced a black schoolhouse of historical value. The building was Ashburn Colored School, a segregation-era schoolhouse. These teenagers used racist graffiti to express their sentiment and vandalized the property with the words ‘black power’ and ‘white power’, and with the images of swastika. Usually, such teenagers, since they are under 18-years of age, are sent to juvenile detention or for community service. However, a Virginia judge did something different and inspiringly surprising. Judge Avelina Jacob handed down a sentence ordering the teenagers to read a book.

The teenagers had to select 12 books out of a list of books that talk about some of history’s most tragic and darkest periods. The list included ‘Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini, ‘Night’ by Elie Wiesel, ‘My Name is Asher Lev’ by Chaim Potok, ‘I know why the caged bird sings’ by maya Angelou and ‘Crucible’ by Arthur Miller. The youths had to read the selected books over a year and write an essay about what they had learned.

Today, the racist messages on the walls of the 19th century school have been painted over and those youths have not reoffended ever since. They have rather apologized for their actions. The teenagers have understood the pain and hysterical torture that people went through during the peak time of discrimination against people of color. One offender even admitted being ignorant about the hurtful meanings of the symbols he had painted, only to realize through the books what grave error he had committed.

Such sentences have set an example for others to follow too. A 14-year-old, in the US, had threatened a black student with a noose was also handed over books of poetry that spoke of the discrimination people had to go through. This brought more sensitivity in the minds of those teenagers. The justice system in Loudon County is being reviewed now, following this precedent.

If those teenagers had been sent to juvenile detention, they may or may not have improved. There are chances that they would have felt even more instigated to reoffend, because of the way society would have looked down at someone with a criminal status. However, all charges were dropped against them and it was ensured that mindset shift happens before any attempts to discipline them.

Often, punishments lead to animosities and resentments. A lot of stories on punitive justice are colored with bitterness, which leads to corruption of ethics and mindset. Not knowing where someone has gone wrong and not getting an opportunity to improve leads to even higher chances of people going the wrong way. Maybe, leaders in other fields can also take a leaf out of this case. When a team member offends, rather than castigating him/her in front of everyone and encouraging embarrassment, it is better to let the person know where things have gone wrong and give a second chance. It may initially look like being lenient, but in the long run, a positive atmosphere and a growth mindset make a team stronger.

Perhaps, we also need a lesson in penalty management in our business studies coursework. That will be a wonderful addition to Organizational Behavior curriculum. So, the next time, we identify someone in a team not performing up to the mark, let’s choose giving a second chance over going for embarrassment.

What are your thoughts on punishment management?