Joseph Gonzalez made his son Jose carry a sign in public to punish him for stealing $100. Photo courtesy of the Denver Post.

An Aurora, Colo. man punished his 12-year-old son for stealing $100 dollars from a relative by having him hold a sign in public in downtown Denver, according to this article in the Denver Post.

National Association of Social Workers member Jamie Huysman, MSW, a psychologist in Florida, said Joseph Gonzalez did the right by getting his son Jose to admit he stole to officials at school and a police officer. But the public shaming was inappropriate.

“The taking-responsibility part is cool, but the rest of this is not cool,” Huysman said.

Q: Social workers, what do you think about using public shaming to punish children and teens?