A UDA decision to publicly 'name and shame' two north Belfast teenagers, allegedly involved in anti-social activity, rather than kneecap them, has sparked debate within loyalist communities.
But is forcing teenagers to stand on a busy thoroughfare holding placards admitting involvement in anti-social crime, a step away from violence or simply another side of paramilitary-style 'street justice'?
Republican and loyalist paramilitaries have tarred and feathered those they judged to be involved in anti-social crime for decades.
One of the worst incidents of paramilitary-style 'policing' involved the UDA driving nails through the hands of Catholic man Harry McCartan to pin him to a fence last November.
The west Belfast father was then beaten with baseball bats. He was later found by an ambulance crew.
But the public humiliation of those people the paramilitaries judge to be involved in crime has gone on for the last 30 years.
In 1986 the IRA in Derry admitted abducting a man in his twenties who was then chained to a summer seat outside a pub in the city centre and tarred and feathered.
A note was put over the victim's head alleging involvement in criminal activity.
In June 1988 the IRA admitted another attack in which a west Belfast teenager was beaten with baseball bats and tied to a lamp post before black paint was poured over his head.
In 1989 loyalists were blamed for an incident in which a 25-year-old Bangor man was tied to a set of goal posts, covered in paint and beaten with baseball bats.
A month later, the INLA was blamed for an attack on two youths in Strabane in which they were tied to a lamp post, covered in paint and had their heads shaved for alleged anti-social activity.
But paramilitary-style humiliation has not been restricted to men.
In 1989 the UDA was blamed for an incident in which an 18-year-old girl was handcuffed to an electricity pole and covered in paint in the loyalist Seymour Hill area of south Belfast.
In 1995 republicans were blamed for an incident in which a 16-year-old west Belfast schoolgirl was taken from her home at gunpoint, tied to a lamp post, covered in paint and had parts of her hair cut off.
Two years later, a 16-year-old teenager from Co Armagh suffered a similar fate after she was taken from a taxi depot, tied to a lamp post for 20 minutes and had her hair cut off before being covered in paint. But community frustrations over joy-riding and robberies has often led to the public endorsement of 'street justice'.
In January 1997 there was widespread applause from 1,000 people at a public meeting in west Belfast when a speaker from the floor demanded that those involved in anti-social behaviour should be publicly tarred and feathered.
In June 2000 a teenage girl and a 20- year-old man were beaten and then covered in paint and feathers by an armed loyalist gang in an attack on the loyalist Steeples estate in Antrim.
Three years ago a 64-year-old Strabane pensioner was tied to a lamp post and covered in green paint after refusing to stop holding all-night parties in his home.
In May 2002 a 12-year-old boy was treated for burns in hospital after he had petrol poured over his head and was set alight in the loyalist Ferndale area of north Belfast.
Two days earlier a youth was tarred and covered with sawdust before being handcuffed to a lamp post in the loyalist Rathcoole estate. A placard warning about anti-social behaviour was draped around his neck.
Days later UVF and UFF posters appeared in the Rathcoole area warning people about the consequences of anti-social behaviour.
That November a UVF spokesman was quoted in the loyalist Combat magazine.
"The public humiliation, by means of the tarring and feathering of several local youths recently, was carried out with a view to deterring anyone with similar interests," he said.
"Obviously the efforts of the Ulster Volunteer Force have been in vain, for the current escalation of like-related crimes proves without doubt that the offenders have either no fear of the UVF or no brains to quit whilst ahead.
"Either way those who choose to wreck and ruin our community will be afforded no further mercy."
But paramilitary tarring and feathering was taking place before the start of the Troubles in 1969.
In June 1927 republicans were blamed for an attack in which Protestant builder Joseph Park was seized, blindfolded and taken to a spot two miles from Dundalk in Co Louth, where he was tarred and feathered. He was left on the roadside wearing only his trousers and boots.
Shankill Ulster Unionist councillor Chris McGimpsey said that neither loyalist or republican paramilitaries had the right to carry out punishment attacks.
"No-one has the right to shoot anyone, no matter who they are," Mr McGimpsey said.
"It is clear from the testimony of people involved in activities like so called joyriding that kneecapping does not deter them.
"If so-called 'naming and shaming' stops paramilitaries shooting people then I think that is a positive move.
"But at the end of the day, the only people who have the right to deal with crime are the police.
"The ultimate answer is to report law breakers to the police. But I welcome anything which stops kneecappings."
Glencairn community worker Jimmy Creighton described the UDA's decision to 'name and shame' people allegedly involved in anti-social behaviour as the "best of a bad lot".
"In a perfect world you would want victims of anti-social crime to use the courts to get justice," Mr Creighton said.
"But to be realistic, people are too afraid to give evidence in court.
"The tactics being used by the UDA are similar to those they used in the early 1970s.
"I believe 'naming and shaming' people involved in anti-social activity is the best of a bad lot.
"Naming and shaming people may be wrong, but it is humiliating them rather than crippling them.
"You can apologise for humiliating someone if they're later proved to be innocent, but you can't take back a bullet.
"In a lot of cases the paramilitaries are meting out this 'justice' because of pressure from the communities for them to do something.
"Until this society gets back to some type of normality this type of thing seems to be the only thing that's on offer.
"Some people would argue it's better to hurt someone's pride by forcing them to stand on a busy street with a placard than beating with a stick or shooting them in the legs."
Meanwhile, republicans were last night being blamed for a paramilitary-style shooting in west Belfast.
The 17-year-old victim, who was shot in both ankles, was found at the junction of Ballymurphy Street and Beechmount Avenue shortly before 11pm on Wednesday.
