Another shame(ful?) sentencing example

A helpful reader pointed me to another story about another shaming sentence.  Perhaps because I am drawn to shaming as an alternative to incarceration in the right cases, I read this AP story from Albany, Georgia as another example of the positive possibilities of sensible shame sentences:

A young woman sentenced to walk a downtown sidewalk wearing a sandwich board announcing her crime as a condition of her probation for burglary said the experience was humbling and humiliating, but definitely better than serving jail time.

"I understand the judge's reasoning,'' said Breanna Klewitz, 23, of her two-hour walk on a sidewalk in front of the Dougherty County Courthouse, wearing signs that read, "I AM A THIEF'' and "I STOLE WHAT YOU WORKED FOR.''  "If you do something wrong, you have to accept some responsibility,'' she said. "Sitting in a jail cell does provide anonymity.  I wish the world didn't have to know me by face and by name.  But I understand his reasoning."...

Chief Superior Court Judge Loren Gray sentenced Klewitz to five-years probation as a first offender for her role in a June burglary at a local fast-food restaurant, where she worked as an assistant manager....

Klewitz said she was amazed at the words of encouragement from passers-by during her two-hour walk on Wednesday. "They said, 'Hang in there,' 'We're praying for you,''' she said. "The only thing I could think of is, rather this than jail. It's definitely made me a better judge of character and who I hang out with.''

Gray said he wants people who steal to know that their crimes will be exposed. Sending defendants like Klewitz to jail for the weekend, allows them to escape public scrutiny and is a burden on taxpayers, he said.

Some recent posts on shaming sentences:

• What punishments really undermine human dignity?
• Shaming punishments and communitarianism
• More shame, shame on you
• Weekend reading on shaming punishments
• The state of shaming punishments (with lots of links)