Michael Cicconetti

Judge, Person

1951 –

51

Who is Michael Cicconetti?

Michael Cicconetti is a judge in Painesville, Lake County, Ohio who dispenses a unique brand of what he calls creative justice. The judge often leaves the choice of penalty to the defendant, who is faced with spending time in jail or undergoing one of Cicconetti's unusual punishments. His punishments often involve placing the defendant in a similar position to that of the defendant's victim at the time of the crime. Famously he ordered a 26-year-old Ohio housewife Michelle Murray to spend a night in the woods for abandoning 35 kittens in a forest at wintertime; he said: “You don’t do that. You don’t leave these poor little animals out and, yes, I wanted to set an example for her future conduct or anybody else who was contemplating doing such a thing”. On other occasions he ordered noisy neighbours to spend a day of silence in the forest or listen to classical music instead of rock. In all cases the judge attempts to place a link between the perpetrated offense and its punishment.

Due in part to the popularity of his actions, he was elected unopposed to serve another six years on the bench in Lake County, Ohio, in November 2005, and also won the presidency of the American Judges Association. He attributes his unusual approach to his background. He is an Eagle Scout, earning the award in 1964, as a member of Scout Troop 64 in Painesville, Ohio. He was the oldest of nine siblings who had to work on ore boats throughout the Great Lakes as a deckhand and deckwatch to fund himself through college. After graduating from St. Leo University in Florida, he became Clerk of the Painesville Municipal Court while attending Cleveland State University Law School at night. Many of the victims, but also defendants, claim that his unusual approach has helped them to cope with their problems and the judge is reportedly inundated with letters from his admirers.

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Born
1951
Also known as
  • Mike Cicconetti
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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