Lately, I’ve post a lot about public shaming as an alternative or supplement to jail time. In a recent post, I even discussed the effects of online shaming and how the internet is playing an increasingly stronger role in our identity and personal history. Now, the Honolulu Police Department will be starting an experiment in online shaming this week as it starts a program to post pictures of people arrested for DUIs. The goal is not only to shame those who have been arrested, but also to deter people from driving while intoxicated, as stated by Major Thomas Nitta of the HPD.
The HPD program will not post the pictures 24/7, but only every Wednesday for 24 hours. I’m not a mind-reader, but I’m guessing that they will only post the photos temporarily in order to combat the adverse effects of online shaming, such as retaliation and spreading the pictures/information virally. The problem, however, lies in the fact that anyone will be able to get on the HPD’s website on Wednesday, copy and past the pictures to another site, and leave them up permanently, thereby completely nullifying the police’s efforts at controlling the information.
What do you think? As regular members of the public, would you like to see DUI mugshots posted online? Do you think this tactic will work as a deterrent to other potential intoxicated drivers? Overall, do you think this will be an effective program?
Please leave your comments below.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I AM a strong and avid believer that the punishment should fit the crime. The program sounds good at first, but here’s something to consider. Do you want the whole world know that you’ve been arrested for DUI? What if you have never been arrested before nor even had a traffic ticket. What if you only had one drink and your driving wasn’t impaired? I can see using this ‘tool’ for DUI chronic violators and/or those that have caused horrendous deaths. It may be “going overboard” in some instnaces.
As for using the Internet for shaming, this is not only “public” shaming, we talking “global” shaming. In addition, even if the posts have a time limit, what are the chances that information will be saved and/or archived by an Internet user? And could it be later re-posted at another site without the knowledge of HPD?
Criminals need to be punished and the public needs to be warned, but still it comes down to making the punishment fit the crime.
For DUI violators who have caused deaths, I say yes.
For chronic and habitual DUI violators, I say yes.
For the “first timer”, may be, but I say look at it on a case to case basis.
BTW,
I know law enforcement need to be fair and impartial, but let’s consider looking at the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law.
As much as I wish posting mug shots would work as a deterrent, I don’t believe it will. On the surface, it sounds real good, but lets look deeper. The individual will not stop drinking (and driving) until he/she wants to. All the nagging, DUI offences, medical (liver) problems, cost, humiliation, etc. will not deter an alcoholic. Don’t believe me? Ask a smoker to quit. Ask a gambler to stop. These are all addictions, and until they no longer want the addiction, they will carry on. So say that you don’t agree with me, lets move to the humiliation of mug shots. Take this example, your neighbour is an alcoholic, his picture is on the web, you see it, so what? You already know what he looks like, similarly with all of his friends, you know about his drinking (you can’t hide the fact), deep down you already feel sorry for him/her, and not to have a confrontation, you say nothing. One cannot feel humiliation if all others knew in advance. What about those alcoholics you do not know. How can one feel humiliation from the stranger passing on the street that you will never see again? To be honest, I really don’t know of a deterrent for DUI, but I do think that humiliation alone is not enough; you need to combine that with an inconvenience hard enough or teaching convincing enough to motivate someone to change.
Public humiliation is great for scum that commit’s a crime that involve’s a victim. But victimless crime like DWI is a little much.