Michael Cicconetti
Michael A. Cicconetti | |
---|---|
8th Ohio Municipal Court Judge for Painesville, Ohio | |
In office January 1994 – September 22, 2019 | |
Governor | |
Preceded by | Neil R. Wilson |
Succeeded by | James R. O'Leary |
President of the American Judges Association | |
In office 2005–06 | |
President of the Northern Ohio Municipal Judges' Association | |
In office 1997–98 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Anthony Cicconetti April 24, 1951 |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican (since February, 2020) |
Other political affiliations | Democratic (before February, 2020) |
Spouse | Kelly Cicconetti |
Children | 5 |
Alma mater | Saint Leo University, Cleveland State University |
Awards | American Judges Association’s Chief Justice Richard W. Holmes Award of Merit |
Nickname | Judge Chick |
This poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Michael Cicconetti" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2012) |
Michael A. Cicconetti (born 1951) is a retired
Cicconetti's first creative sentence, which involved a violation relating to a stopped
Due in part to the popularity of his actions, he won the presidency of the American Judges Association.
Where the national recidivism (repeat offender) rate is over 75%, the rate in Judge Cicconetti's court was just 10%.[5]
His philosophy is exemplified by the following quotation:
When you engage people and praise them for their good behavior, not unlike children, it helps their self-esteem. My judicial philosophy is really not that much different from a parental philosophy. I have five children. You can paddle them or spank them but what do you gain? Most people want to be good but for little obstacles or habits. We have to change the habits and remove the obstacles. That's our job.
Sentences such as Cicconetti's are becoming more popular across the United States, and one judge has cited him specifically as being the influence for one of her own sentences.[6]
In February 2019 Cicconetti announced that he planned to retire later in the year.[7][8] He retired from being a judge on September 22, 2019.[9]
Other government offices Cicconetti has held include a four-year term on the Painesville Township Board of Education, and fourteen years as a Painesville Township Trustee. He was previously a member of the Coalition of Justice Associations, and served as president of the Northern Ohio Municipal Judges' Association.[10]
Unusual sentences
- Two teenagers who scrawled 666 on a nativity figure of Jesus had to lead a donkey through the streets, with a sign saying: "Sorry for the jackass offense, but he is soooo cute!"[11]
- Teenagers who flattened tires on school buses were ordered to throw a picnic for the primary school children whose outing was cancelled due to the prank.[2]
- A man who committed a traffic violation while shouting "pigs" at police officers was made to stand on a street corner with a 350-pound pig and a sign that said "This is not a police officer."[2][12][6]
- An 18-year-old male who stole pornography from an adult book store was ordered to sit outside the store wearing a blindfold and holding a sign that read "See no evil."[2]
- Three men soliciting sex were ordered to wear chicken suits holding signs that read "No Chicken Ranch in Painesville".[13]
- In January 2008, Cicconetti sentenced a man who stole a red collection kettle holding about $250 from the Salvation Army to spend 24 hours homeless.[14]
- A woman who was convicted of stealing from a church was ordered to spell out the sentence "I stole coins from this church" entirely in coins and apologize to each worshipper as they entered the church.[15]
- A woman who skipped out on a cab fare was ordered to walk 30 miles in 48 hours. Thirty miles was the distance the cab driver had driven her before she skipped out on the fare.[5][16]
- A woman who pleaded guilty to assault for using pepper spray on a woman was given the choice to serve 30 days in jail or serve three days of community service and be shot herself with pepper spray. After agreeing to the latter she was sprayed and found out it was only water.[17]
- A woman who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and neglect for abandoning a dog in an uninhabitable house was given a choice of serving 90 days in jail or picking up garbage for 8 hours in the Lake County Landfill. The defendant chose to work in the landfill.[5]
- A nanny accused of hitting a boy with a belt was compelled to read articles on the consequences of child abuse, and then discuss them in the courtroom in front of the judge, the victim's mother, and spectators.[2]
Personal life
Political beliefs
Formerly having been a lifelong member of the
Family
Cicconetti has five children.[22]
References
- ^ Joeright, Maribeth (December 31, 2012). "Most Influential: Judge Michael Cicconetti's alternative sentences leave impression". The News-Herald. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Woman Ordered to Spend Night in Woods for Abandoning Kittens". ABC News. 2005-11-28. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
- ^ "Village recognizes Judge Cicconetti's long service". www.gazettenews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ^ "Painesville Municipal Court - Judge Cicconetti". www.pmcourt.com.
- ^ a b c Pinedo, Aris; Brown, Jasmine; Valiente, Alexa (2015-09-01). "Judge Uses Unusual Punishments to Keep People Out of Jail". ABC News. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
- ^ a b Donaldson, Stan (19 November 2012). "Cleveland woman holding 'idiot' sign only the latest oddball sentences from Northeast Ohio judges". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ Ewinger, James (February 22, 2019). "Colorful Painesville Judge Michael Cicconetti hanging up his gavel". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "Painesville Judge Michael Cicconetti, known for creative sentences, to retire this year". WJW-TV. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- ^ "Painesville Municipal Court - About the Court". www.pmcourt.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ^ "Painesville Municipal Court - Judge Cicconetti". www.pmcourt.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- ^ Donovan, Gill, "Vandals of statue sentenced to procession with donkey", National Catholic Reporter 14 February 2003
- ^ Nelson, Steven (Aug 17, 2015). "Calling Police 'Pigs' Lands Teen in Jail". U.S. News. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
- ^ "Men who solicited sex ordered to wear chicken suit", The Plain Dealer, 26 July 2007
- ^ "Sentenced to homelessness", The News-Herald, 25 January 2008
- ^ "Woman Who Stole From Church To Spell Apology In Coins", NewsChannel 5 in Cleveland, Ohio. 23 August 2008 Archived June 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- 19 Action Newsin Cleveland, Ohio. 28 May 2015
- ^ "Painesville woman shot with pepper spray as part of judge's unique sentence", WJW-TV
- ^ "Judge Mike Cicconetti Ret". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ Reporter, Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court (4 March 2020). "Chief Justice John Roberts rebukes Chuck Schumer for comments about Kavanaugh and Gorsuch". CNN. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
{{cite web}}
:|first=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Judge Chick on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ^ "https://twitter.com/judgechick/status/1330621786975825926?s=20". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
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- ^ "Painesville Municipal Court - Judge Cicconetti". www.pmcourt.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
External links
- Judge Michael A. Cicconetti from the official Painesville Municipal Court website