Dave Durant (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} cholten99) wrote,@ 2009-03-15 21:06:00 |
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Website to allow public to see local criminals
Okay - I've got mixed feelings about this one.
One the one hand it (1) publicly marks petty criminals even more as outsiders - 'them' - making it even harder for them to try fit into normal society, (2) it potentially increases the notoriety of criminals so they may actually gain from it & (3) doesn't reflect that the vast majority of non-violent petty crime is done to get money for drugs.
For the last reason alone I am completely sure this will be useless as a deterrent (as I'm sure the government knows - they just want to be see to be "doing something" - no-one even did badly for looking Tough of Crime (or drugs)).
On the other hand all of this information is in the public domain anyway so anyone could make a website listing it - so why shouldn't the state?
Tricky one.
Okay - I've got mixed feelings about this one.
One the one hand it (1) publicly marks petty criminals even more as outsiders - 'them' - making it even harder for them to try fit into normal society, (2) it potentially increases the notoriety of criminals so they may actually gain from it & (3) doesn't reflect that the vast majority of non-violent petty crime is done to get money for drugs.
For the last reason alone I am completely sure this will be useless as a deterrent (as I'm sure the government knows - they just want to be see to be "doing something" - no-one even did badly for looking Tough of Crime (or drugs)).
On the other hand all of this information is in the public domain anyway so anyone could make a website listing it - so why shouldn't the state?
Tricky one.
