A few people have contacted me about a most unusual sentence recently handed down in an animal abuse case that has caused quite a bit of controversy.

Last July, Robert M. Clark of Painsville, Ohio was sentenced to 180 days in jail for shooting his Great Dane, Bill, in the head. Bill was later euthanized due to brain damage. But Municipal Judge Michael A. Cicconetti is allowing Clark to reduce his sentence to just 10 days in jail if he pays for the dog’s medical care and dresses up as Safety Pup to visit local elementary schools. Safety Pup is a character who tries to educate young children about topics such as traffic safety and drug abuse. For more information on this case, click here.

Judge Cicconetti is known for his inventive sentences, and this was not his first unconventional sentence in an animal cruelty case. Last year, he allowed a woman who abandoned 35 kittens in the woods to reduce her jail sentence by spending a night alone in the woods with no food or shelter. It ended up being so cold that night, that the woman was allowed to return to her cell after three hours. You can learn more about that case here.

Although he has his critics, Judge Cicconetti was just elected unopposed to serve his third six-year term in office. He recently won the presidency of the American Judges Association and has been considered for his own television show. He’s even gotten international recognition, as seen here.

I’d love to know what you think about Judge Cicconetti’s methods. Do you think they can be more or less effective than jail time? Why or why not?

I think it's a wonderful idea, but some of his sentences appear a bit too lenient. Those kittens weren't rescued after 3 hours, but that woman was. I have no patience or empathy for people who are cruel to animals.

Newt

I believe that any subject related sentence is better than jail. Sitting in a jail cell just makes you contemplate what you would rather be doing. Or you may even get along with your jail-mates and have a grand old time comparatively.

Sitting in the woods where you dumped your kittens would at least make you reflect on your misdeed a little, even if it is only to pity yourself. I think he should have left her out there despite the cold, maybe issue a thin blanket to keep her from freezing to death (barely).

The Safety Pup sentence was brilliant, I think. It made the man preach the exact opposite of what he believed. It's like with lying.. if you keep saying the same thing, you may end up believing it. In this case - I applaud the judge and wish that more judges were this inventive overall. It might just prevent some people from doing some crimes, because they never know what the sentence would/will be.

Instead of sitting in a clean jail cell after neglecting/abusing a horse, you might end up 40 days in a barn shoveling horse manure - or something like that.