If you value your privacy in this open world of slander, gossip and public outings then you had better not get arrested. Recently police in El Cajon, California have started to post pictures and detailed information on women arrested for prostitution in addition to women caught loitering and suspected of participating in prostitution. You can have a look for yourself at their public flogging page here.

The women have been given specific orders to stay out of site when in certain areas of the city. One woman has even been banned from posting and advertising on Craigslist. The public flogging page announces that Michelle Whiteside, “Shall not advertise on Craig’s List.” Most suspects and convicted prostitutes are banned from having cellphones, pagers and any other communications device when in restricted city zones. The people listed are almost all banned from accepting rides, congregating in most public areas and have conversations with anyone that is driving around.

While the goal seems clear, publicly humiliate people charged and suspected of prostitution, it has definitely raised some eyebrows of privacy advocates. If people have the right to privacy through law, this website is definitely an invasion of their privacy. It’s essentially legal slander with no real benefit to the person that has obviously already been having trouble in life.

This could very well keep these women off the specified streets and keep them from posting on Craigslist, but the true benefit to rehabilitation and their future seems bleak. If one of these women wanted to get a legal job in the local area they would probably find it pretty hard to get one considering their photos have been passed around town and on syndicated news shows.

Another sad realization of this publicly available list is some of the ages of these girls. There is a girl as young as 19 years old listed on the website with her full name, age, height, weight, hair color and eye color. If someone as young as 19 years old cannot make a mistake in life without being publicly humiliated for 3 years on a public website (until 2010 the end of her probation), we have definitely come to an unforgiving point in society.

Some people find it funny and entertaining, but they aren’t taking the time to put themselves inside of one of these women’s shoes. Where exactly does the line end? If you’re arrested for speeding, shoplifting, smoking marijuana, DUI and other crimes will you be finding your pictures on public websites soon?

The 21st century version of The Scarlet Letter is now in motion. The courts will probably reach a point where they must decide where the fine line is in who can be humiliated for what crimes. All it will take is someone in a high profile position to hire a high flying lawyer and put these websites in check.

The next public flogging photo and information page will be for people that have purchased prostitution. The El Cajon police department says that they will be rolling out this new page within a couple of weeks. The idea is to allow all people in the community to know the faces of offenders and report them immediately upon seeing them in restricted zones or see them in any suspicious activity.

It wasn’t long ago when this same police department found it acceptable to start impounding cars of people that had been on the purchasing end of prostitution. Not too long after this practice was becoming a common tool, the Supreme Court ruled that El Cajon and other participating municipalities could not seize and impound vehicles of people that were soliciting prostitution, you can find an in depth story on the ruling here.The

Business Shrink’s Reaction:

Do you think that this police department’s methods invade the privacy of criminals and suspected offenders? Where do you think the line should be drawn in what crimes can be publicly exposed and suspects and criminals can be publicly flogged and humiliated? If you have been involved in a similar public humiliation we’d like to hear from you and hear how it has effected you. We’d like to hear from you.