Recently Mr. Glen Meyer, a 62-year-old farmer, was convicted of having bashed another farmer in the face with a truck fuel pump during an argument. Mr. Meyer could have been sentenced to 2 to 10 years in prison. Instead the judge, taking into account that Mr. Meyer had an elderly mother at home with him, gave him probation, but confined him to his home for a year, allowing him only to keep doctors appointments and to attend church. In addition, Mr. Meyer had to pay a $7,500 fine and the victim’s medical bills, amounting to nearly $10,000. Finally, Mr. Meyer was required by the judge to post for thirty months a large sign at the end of his driveway, visible to drivers along the road into town, which reads,

“Warning:

A Violent Felon Lives Here. Travel at Your Own Risk.” Mr. Meyer has challenged the imposition of the sign in court.

Is the judge’s requirement that Mr. Meyer post the sign morally justifiable? If so, why? If not, why not?