Creative Sentencing: Greatest Hits
This has got to be one of the most creative alternative sanctions ever handed out in a court of law. According to a story from AP, more than two dozen young people who broke into Robert Frost's former home for a beer party and trashed the place are being required to take classes in his poetry as part of their punishment.
Using "The Road Not Taken" and another poem as jumping-off points, Frost biographer and Middlebury Professor Jay Parini hopes to show the vandals the error of their ways — and the redemptive power of poetry.
The prosecutor in the case came up with the idea and contacted Parini. "I guess I was thinking that if these teens had a better understanding of who Robert Frost was and his contribution to our society, that they would be more respectful of other people's property in the future and would also learn something from the experience," said prosecutor John Quinn.
Using "The Road Not Taken" and another poem as jumping-off points, Frost biographer and Middlebury Professor Jay Parini hopes to show the vandals the error of their ways — and the redemptive power of poetry.
The prosecutor in the case came up with the idea and contacted Parini. "I guess I was thinking that if these teens had a better understanding of who Robert Frost was and his contribution to our society, that they would be more respectful of other people's property in the future and would also learn something from the experience," said prosecutor John Quinn.
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