Defendants who enter the courtroom and meet judge Michael Cicconetti in Painesville, Ohio, never know what to expect.
For 21 years, this charismatic judge has practiced something he calls “creative justice,” where he gives unexpected but fitting punishments to those found guilty.
You could say that Michael Cicconetti models his decisions a bit on the philosphy of “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
Judge and father of five Michael Cicconetti often allows prosecutors to decide their own sentences. Choices usually fall between prison and any of Cicconetti’s inventive alternative punishments.
Since 1994, Michael Cicconetti has been re-elected every time, mostly because of his popular actions and special sentencing.
Here are his most unusual judgments:
1. A couple were taken to court after were caught having sex in a public park. The punishment? They had to clean the whole park, including all the used condoms. They also had to buy an advertisement in the local newspaper apologizing to the whole city and to everyone who had seen their act.
2. A woman left 35 kittens alone in a forest in winter. In addition to making the woman pay a fine, Judge Cicconetti also gave her a taste of her own medicine. He made her spend a night in the woods in the middle of November
