In New York, March 2005, a disgruntled judge named Robert Restaino arrested an entire courtroom
of 46 people because someone refused to silence their cell phone.
When the jail cells became overly cramped, 14 of the occupants were shipped to another
jail facility.
Realizing that this was a pretty harsh sentence against a large group of people for the act
of one individual, Restaino released everyone that same day.
He later made the claim that he was suffering from “personal stresses.”
A state commission then removed Restaino from his position.
Though many of us can relate to the annoyance of a phone going off in any type of setting,
the actions of Restaino may have gone a little too far, to say the least.
Normally, when we imagine someone getting arrested, we assume that person has done something
terrible.
But sometimes the punishment doesn’t quite fit the crime.
So what are some of the biggest punishments for the smallest crimes around the world?
Whether or not you think a crime is “small” can be a subjective matter.
Sometimes, however, a punishment can seem a little more than too much for an act that
is construed as minute by most people.
Starting with the U.S., in February of 2014, a man named Rickey Joe Moore was feeling pretty
hungry and decided to snag a delicious hot dog from a convenience store – well, at
least we hope it was delicious for his sake.
Across most other states, pocketing small items such as a $1.49 hotdog would classify
as a misdemeanor at the worst.
In the state of Indiana, however, Rickey was arrested on a felony theft charge, facing
prison time of six months and up to three years for this action.
One odd aspect of this story though is that Rickey did apparently pay for a fountain drink
while trying to sneak off with the hotdog.
Hopefully, it was worth the expense.
Still, the American punishments are not nearly as bad as some of the other countries on this
list.
In the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan, for instance, you’d better be careful if
you’re behind the wheel of a car.
If you’re complaining about the fine for your speeding ticket, that’s nothing compared
to what you might be asked to do in this country.
Any traffic violation here could land you a week of picking cotton to contribute to
the country’s harvesting operation.
Your license will be temporarily suspended until your time servicing the fields has concluded.
This may seem like a bizarre punishment for a mere traffic violation, but it is mild compared
to some other punishments on this list.
In Waziland, a country in South Africa that is still ruled by a monarch, harsh, corporal
punishments take place in schools.
We’re not simply talking about a simple whack on the hand for poor behavior.
Children can be severely beaten by teachers for not following directions.
In 2015, a seventeen-year-old student was killed during one of these beatings when he
suffered a seizure during the beating.
The king of Waziland argued against abolishing this punishment in schools, saying within
the same year of 2015 that children need this and that continuing this practice will somehow
help the country become a first-world nation by 2020.
If you’re scratching your head over this logic, you’re not alone.
We thought it would be interesting to also mention that the king of Waziland lives in
luxury with 15 wives and 25 children while his people starve.
Just to add a little perspective on the situation…
As related to corporal punishment in schools, the country of Zimbabwe has technically abolished
it but that doesn’t mean some people still don’t use it.
In 2017, there were reports of some school kids being hospitalized after their teacher
beat them.
Though the law has outlawed the practice since 2013, many still have trouble letting go of
its use.
Interestingly, in Malaysia, caning is a widespread form of punishment but only for men.
Women are spared from this pain unless they are Muslim.
This is because Muslims have their own system for punishment here, which can include both
men and women being caned or flogged.
In case you were wondering about the difference between being “caned” or “flogged,”
it really depends on whether a whip or rod is used but mostly, these terms are used interchangeably
with the same meaning and used pretty loosely.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Flogging, also called whipping or caning,” is aimed
with “blows commonly directed to the person’s back.”
Lashing is similarly a form of flagellation but, not surprisingly, utilizes lashes as
the tool of choice rather than rods or whips.
Ouch!
We imagine that the pain and anguish of one of these beatings would be too awful to endure!
Speaking of being lashed though, in Indonesia on October of 2016, a young Muslim woman received
23 lashes simply for standing too close to her boyfriend.
Do you think this is just a little overly harsh?
We’ll let you decide for yourself.
In Iran, public floggings are a regular occurrence and part of the judicial system.
Floggings can be administered against those who have committed serious offenses such as
murders and rapes but can also be targeted against less serious offenses like eating
during Ramadan, premarital intercourse, or even drinking alcohol.
Yeah, you may want to rethink that cup of beer if you ever find yourself here.
Worse than beatings, in Saudi Arabia, it may come to no surprise that there are many offenses
that can lead to public executions.
In 2016, there were 150 public beheadings.
On the first day of 2019, the country saw 3 public executions.
So, what crimes can get you beheaded here exactly?
Well, for one, Sharia law reigns supreme here so being associated with the LGBT community
can land you in a world of trouble.
Even if you have proven yourself to be a lifelong heterosexual, just the mere proximity of being
around LGBT activity can be dangerous.
Being associated with homosexuality, even if you’re not a homosexual, could be life
threatening.
In 2018, a group of men were arrested for being in a video where a gay wedding was allegedly
being held.
The men seemed surprised by the event and may have simply just been spectators not actually
involved in the making of the video at all.
Nevertheless, they were arrested.
Does this seem harsh to you?
Well, that isn’t even the worst of it.
In Brunei, a country in Southeast Asia, like Saudi Arabia, it is illegal to be gay or lesbian.
But here, instead of a quick beheading, you’re more likely to be stoned to death for association.
This, arguably, is much worse.
Imagine being hit by one heavy rock after the next without pause to take a breath.
After a few hits, your battered and bruised self would probably wish you were being beheaded
by a sword instead of having your skull smashed into pieces by a flying stone.
Maybe you’re thinking that being flogged, caned or lashed isn’t so bad now…
But what about punishments for doing nothing bad at all?
In North Korea, as we have mentioned in our past video, Everything We Know About The Horrific
North Korean Labor Camps, you can inadvertently be punished for a crime you did not commit!
The three generations rule says that if you commit a crime and receive punishment, the
punishment applies to your children and grandchildren as well.
So, if your mom, dad or even grandparent is convicted of a crime, you could spend your
life in prison as well.
Do you think these punishments fit their crimes?
Which do you think is worse?
Is there something we missed on this list?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video The Catherine Wheel - Worst Punishments In
The History of Mankind!
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!