June Tangney's Essay Condemn The Crime, Not The Person

Julie Nguyen
Kaitlin McClanahan
English 97/98
November 20, 2014
Summary and Response “Condemn the Crime, Not the Person” June Tangney’s short essay, “Condemn the Crime, Not the Person”, is about the difference between two emotions: shame and guilt. There is a problem in the court system when it comes to traditional sentences. There are people who even encourage America to look for shaming as a way to save money rather than taking care of an inmate in jail. However, Tangney states that recently, there is a realization that these cheaper ways are actually not effective. It makes the criminal’s situation worse, according to the author. The two feelings of shame and guilt are very different. I agree with Tangney’s argument because punishing a criminal should be in the fairest way with the
purpose of improving that individual. Money is the main reason for why courts are trying to find different ways to punish a criminal.
The reason is because it is too expensive to take care of a criminal in jail. This is understandable because it costs a lot of money to feed someone and basically provide them a “home” to stay in for many months. The author states, “as the costs of incarceration mount and evidence of its failure as a deterrent grows, judges understandably have begun to search for alternatives to traditional sentences” (570). Especially for crimes are not heavy enough to have the criminal sentence to jail, social commentators have said shaming is a cheap solution. I strongly disagree with those social commentators. They are only thinking about the short term costs. As in accounting, this is a bad thing because the benefit is only in the beginning. It may seem like a cheaper solution, but the effectiveness is very low. This is because Tangney states, “Shamed individuals are no less likely to repeat their transgressions… and they are no more likely to attempt reparation” (570). When thinking about the long term, if the shamed criminal is going to repeat an offense, which would cost even more money in
total.
Shaming comes with humiliation and it is focused on the person feeling worthless. It doesn’t even have to be for criminals. The feeling of shame for ANY person makes them feel very low and have no importance. The author defines humiliation as, “a sense of shrinking, of being small, worthless, and powerless, and by a sense of being exposed” (570). Shame is a feeling that can rip someone apart. They lose face, which causes personal and mental problems. Furthermore, it doesn’t even help the shamed person to change into a better person. Tangney states, “they may see to hide or escape the shameful feeling, denying responsibility. They may seek to shift the blame outside, holding others responsible for their dilemma” (571). When someone feels worthless, they will not care about anything (which includes the motivation to improve). What is even worse is when the shamed person does not admit their fault, but instead blames on other people. They feel worthless; there is nothing for them to lose when blaming others. Shaming can even lead to worse situations including violence. The author explains, “not infrequently, they become irrationally angry with others, sometimes resorting to overtly aggressive and destructive actions” (571). Shaming is no solution if it makes the problem even worse. Sha