January 31, 2013 05:29 PM UTC

At least he's not your spank-happy legislator

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• by: Obvious Alias

(promoted by PCG)

Apparently a GOP state Rep in Montana misses the good old midieval days when a criminal could be whipped for their crimes, and has introduced legislation so a criminal can recieve “corporal punishment in lieu of incarceration.”  While it doesn't dictate stockades where the villagers could throw rotten vegetables, it does raise some interesting questions because the severity of punishment is supposed to be in line with the crime committed. 

Montana State Rep. Jerry O’Neil (R) is sponsoring a bill to allow defendants to “bargain with the court” to receive “corporal punishment in lieu of incarceration.” The bill would apply to not just misdemeanor crimes, but also felonies — though the bill requires that the “exact nature of the corporal punishment to be imposed” be “commensurate with the severity, nature, and degree of the harm caused by the offender.”

So can a criminal convicted of a violent beating opt to be beaten themselves?  Can we have a lottery similar to jury duty to decide who gets to do it or should we return to an idea of antiquity where a family member can claim the right?  Perhaps it's a job creation bill and there is an official goverment abuser whose job is to beat criminals, or they can outsource to private companies with a bidding contract of some sort…