Utah judge's ponytail-cutting punishment criticized

Monday, June 25, 2012

PRICE, Utah (AP) — A Utah woman has filed a formal complaint against a juvenile court judge who told her that he would reduce her 13-year-old daughter's sentence if she would cut off the girl's ponytail in court.

Valerie Bruno of Price said she filed the complaint against 7th District Juvenile Judge Scott Johansen with the Utah Judicial Conduct Commission.

Her daughter and an 11-year-old friend were referred to juvenile court for cutting off the hair of a 3-year-old girl with scissors in March and for harassing another girl in Colorado by telephone.

At a May 28 hearing, Johansen ordered Bruno's daughter to serve 30 days in detention and to perform 276 hours of community service. But the judge offered to take 150 hours of community service off the sentence if Bruno cut her daughter's ponytail in his courtroom.

Bruno said she now wishes she hadn't taken Johansen up on his offer, and that she had consulted an attorney before taking her daughter into his courtroom.

"I guess I should have went into the courtroom knowing my rights, because I felt very intimidated," she told the Deseret News. "An eye for an eye, that's not how you teach kids right from wrong."

Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Johansen were unsuccessful Sunday.

Colin Winchester, executive director of the Utah Judicial Conduct Commission, said the state Constitution bars him from commenting on whether a complaint has been filed against a judge. A complaint only becomes public if disciplinary action is taken against a judge, he said.

Under state law, judges are given discretion in coming up with sanctions for youth that will change their behavior in a positive way.

Mindy Moss, mother of the 3-year-old whose hair was cut off, said she approved of the sentence and even spoke up during the hearing when she felt Bruno had not cut off enough of her daughter's hair. Johansen then directed Bruno to cut the ponytail all the way "to the rubber band."

Moss told The Salt Lake Tribune that she originally called police about the haircut because she worried the girls' behavior could become more serious.

"I didn't want them to think they got away with it ... It was malicious," Moss said.

Johansen ordered the friend of Bruno's daughter to have her hair cut as short as his. She was allowed to go to a salon to have it done, then return to the courtroom to ensure that the new hairstyle met with the judge's approval.

More like this story

LaTda 10 months, 3 weeks ago

I applaud the judge for his ruling. So many kids get away with thier wrong doings these days. I'm glad to see that there are some people still willing to stand up against our youth and teach them old fashion lessons.

Sequoia 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Yeah, that good-old fashioned lesson. The lesson that, whether you're a playground bully or a sitting judge, there will always be people to cheer for you when you use your power to humiliate the unpopular, just because you can. What a great, old-fashioned apple pie lesson.

Looks like everybody here knows that lesson.

Sequoia 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Well, I don't agree that a party's "popularty" should influence a judge's ruling on a case.

But I agree about one thing, Grace. People who hold another down and cut his hair ARE committing assault, and people who commit assaults SHOULD be unpopular so the society can let them know that childish bullying behavior, from any office holder, will not be tolerated or rewarded:

csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Wire/2012/0510/Does-it-matter-if-Mitt-Romney-was-a-bully-in-high-school-video.

Might doesn't make right. We need children to remind us of this.

TickledPink 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Why was this even in court? "Old fashioned lessons"? How is taking a child to court for cutting a kid's hair an old fashioned lesson? When did common sense and practical parenting become a litigation issue? Someone cuts my child's hair I'm not calling the police, I'm calling their parents. If it were MY child that did the cutting, you better believe there would be punishment at home. I can't even imagine the thought process behind this.

We are raising a generation of children who don't know how to stand up for themselves. We're raising victims. We're raising spoiled brats who have a misinformed sense of entitlement. Get off your @ss and be a parent and show our children what REAL old fashioned lessons are. This is ridiculous.

spelchek 10 months, 3 weeks ago

"We're raising victims. We're raising spoiled brats who have a misinformed sense of entitlement." -- AKA: Democrats
Sequoia and the like want to see every facet of our lives involve government. This case is a huge step forward for their cause.

TickledPink 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Most of the time, I'm labeled a Democrat even though I choose to not affiliate myself with either party. More than once on these forums I've been "the like" that you speak of. My commitment to raise my children to show respect and to know that there are consequences to their actions is neither Democrat or Republican - it's parenting.

asb 10 months, 3 weeks ago

You would think so, however you'd be wrong. The moralistic FRight wants to paint themselves as the right-thinking, religiously correct, and generally superior at all things, and that all bad parenting, bad morals, wrong headed politics, bad behavior, and religious infadels are the spawn of the demonic left and progressive ninnys who are out to destroy their version of America. You know, the one that never actually existed outside their imagination.

TickledPink 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Spelchek is the one who turned this political. I was discussing parenting and the lack thereof that seems to be the main of this article. Would either of you care to actually comment on what the article is about?

asb 10 months, 3 weeks ago

There are no "nothing more" issues with the extreme moralistic right that you are constantly putting above anything left of Attilla the Hun. You're correct, I'm making a political response to what Spelchek posted.

spelchek 10 months, 3 weeks ago

extreme moralistic right? Progressives are the opposite so I guess that would make them the lame demoralizing left?

asb 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Yes, in your world, which was the point of my post. Thanks for signing it . . .

spelchek 10 months, 3 weeks ago

You just described OWS.

MO4LIFE 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Amen asb!

tonto_goldberg 10 months, 3 weeks ago

I am going to agree with Graceful on this one. This is not a partisan political issue. It's not a left or right issue either. The story is about a crime and a suitable punishment. You know, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and some hair for some hair. The article also makes it sound like mom is part of the problem. Maybe some deputy sheriff type should be required to hold mom down and shave her head, right after mom gets done cutting off her daughter's pony tail.

I sincerely hope none of the people involved ever run for public office anywhere. The bully factor bothers me. Does the teenager learn there are consequences to her actions, does she learn to be sneakier next time, or does she learn that there's always a bigger bully? Maybe I shouldn't worry about that because it's part of a judge's job to set the punishment for a crime.

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