Caffeine

Judge Paul Sacco has got a wicked sense of humor.

When teenagers front him in court for playing loud music, they usually end up in the music room from hell. Yep, they get an hours worth of Barry Manilow, Barney (purple friggin dino) and the Platters to teach them a lesson.

Judge Sacco said “These people should have to listen to music they don’t like,”.So far so good, the small rural town of Fort Lupton, Colorado is as quiet as a church mouse.

Ten years ago, the judge found that too many repeat offenders were returning to his courtroom. What irked him most of all was that the teenagers came equipped with cash from their parents to pay off the fines he would impose.

Clearly, the message was not getting through and so Judge Sacco came up with the idea of making the teenagers have to listen to music they didn’t like. And it has worked. The number of repeat offenders has fallen.

The punishment is meted out four times a year. Offenders troop into a room and are forced to listen to music they would normally run a mile from.

The play list at a recent session included: I Can’t Smile Without You by Barry Manilow; Only You by The Platters.

Judge Sacco’s novel form of punishment brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “poetic justice.”