By Michael Yoshida, Action News Jax-Jacksonville
BAKER COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida woman was forced to hold a sign that reads “I stole from a local merchant” in front of the store as part of a court-ordered punishment.
The woman was standing on the side of the road in front of a Walmart where she shoplifted. A county judge makes thieves hold the sign, according to the Baker County Sheriff's Office.
"This is a regular part of their conviction for retail thefts at our local businesses," said Gerald Gonzalez with the Baker County Sheriff's Office. “We think that it is certainly a good incentive not to do it again."
Victoria Ford, who sells vegetables from a cart on the street, sees people holding the sign once or twice a week.
“The other day they had one standing out there and it was raining," Ford said. "I would be horrified if I ever got caught stealing something and I had to stand on the side of the road holding a sign.”
Using public humiliation is a tactic that Ford thinks is an effective way to prevent people from stealing.
"Not always do you need to be put in jail for something," Ford said. "I really do think it's a good punishment. Especially when people drive by and honk their car horns at them."
