SPPD's prostitution arrests website

[EvilTwinFelicia]

Do you agree with this portion of the Saint Paul Police Department's website?

http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/depts/police/prostitution.html

[Duo_Maxwell]

neither. We should simply legalize it. That way we could regulate it and keep health problems low.

The sad fact is, regardless of laws, prositution is the oldest carrer, and it's gonna remain imbedded regardless of legislation. This way, we can regulate it with state standards.

[Blueangel]

I don't have a problem with legal, properly run brothels, but I do have a problem with street prostitution. It makes all parties, and many innocent parties, too vulnerable.
I'd be interested if anyone ever came up with the murder rate of prostitutes. They always seem to be the target of serial killers, etc.

As for the website publishing photos, that's a tricky one.
How can they say that the detainees are innocent until proven guilty, when only a few of the people in the photos have been convicted?
Morbid curiosity leads me to look at the photos and I must admit to giggling at a few of them, but that's human nature. :p
How many of us will refuse to look at photos of people because they may be innocent?

My local paper runs a weekly column of everyone who has been convicted in court that week. It's become almost cult reading just for gossip about neighbours and associates. But as any conviction is in the public domain, the paper is free to print the details.
The key word is 'conviction'.

The only time I've seen this method of public humiliation really work, was when the details of people convicted of drunk driving were published. The levels of drunk driving plummeted in my town when this 'Name and Shame' column was running.

[ranger]

Originally posted by EvilTwinFelicia
Do you agree with this portion of the Saint Paul Police Department's website?

http://www.ci.stpaul.mn.us/depts/police/prostitution.html

Many municipalities in the US publish arrests and such in the papers. Some make a point of publishing photos of "johns" picked up in stings. This seems to curtail prostitution because of the professional embarrassment that goes with it.

Since the records of such infractions are against the "people" and a matter of "public record" then it is within the 1st amendment rights of the press to publish them.

[foxroaddaddy]

I voted 'NO' because the pictures include those who have just been charged and not convicted. If only the mug shots of convicted persons were included, I would have voted 'Don't Care' - if that had been an option.

[Quincy Wisdom]

if we aren’t going to legalize it, why not humiliate them?