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Drunk Drivers to be outed on Twitter, but not here

by Whaleoil on December 26, 2009

In Texas they are utilising the internet to out criminals not trying to plug the hole like the proverbial little Dutch boy and the Dyke as they are doing here.

Drunk driving in Montgomery County, Texas, this holiday season? Expect to see your name in Tweets, as the local district attorney’s office has vowed to name and shame drunk drivers on Twitter.

The tactic, hoping to dissuade drunk drivers using the threat of public humiliation, will see DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) arrests documented on the @MontgomeryTXDAO Twitter account, owned by Montgomery County District Attorney, Brett Ligon.

The idea was conceived by County Vehicular Crimes Prosecutor Warren Diepraam, and it’s not entirely new: the information is a matter of public record and some newspapers print the names of people charged with such crimes as a deterrent.

Fucking excellent, of course if we ever did that here there would be name suppression for celebrities, rich people, National Party Presidents and two bit entertainers

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  • strewnAmongst

    holy hell dude, you're such an insipid bucket of whine.

    you're right though, the police trying to prosecute you is an absolute waste of time, and has only empowered you to raise your silly little flag of self-righteousness. keep flapping it buddy, good luck.

    • moondoggy

      Yawny yawny yawn yawn!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/thor42 thor42

    @spewedAmongst – so, are we to take from your comments that you **support** name suppression? At least WO has had the guts to point out this "name suppression" law as the farce that it is.

    • strewnAmongst

      yeah, that'd be winner.

      but no, as a foster-carer for two teenage girls, were one of them accosted in an alleyway by a randy drunk "musician", I wouldn't wanna take them to a movie and risk having his name rubbed in their faces. I wouldn't really want them not to be able to privately come to terms with what they'd been through and have some exaggerated media report become the publicly accepted "truth" of the case. and I'd want them to consider seeking some less vengeful approach to understanding what had happened to them and why.

      the worst thing of all is that, especially in the lower socio-economic groups of the country, name suppression is barely a damn issue, when so much sexual abuse gets swept under a carpet because people are too shocked/ashamed/eager-to-turn-a-blind-eye to admit it.

      this angry/must-have-justice-at-all-costs approach actually threatens to scare _potential_ offenders away from seeking help before they offend. the threat of being "named and shamed" is a stupid, easily-abused tactic which seems at face value like a total WIN, but is just as likely to see the truth buried.

  • strewnAmongst

    two examples: 1) you're a key associate of a hit artist who you know is getting it on with his 14 y/o fans. do you report him, so that he gets named and shamed and your whole career tanks, or do you shut up because you don't wanna lose that edge? 2) you're dating a man and discover he's "low-level" abusing your daughter. do you report him, so that he gets named and shamed, your whole family gets dragged into disrepute, your daughter's school-friends get told by their parents that "oh be careful of that X girl" and end up bullying her, and you lose the last chance you had of finding a man before you hit 50?

    in BOTH examples, the moral obligation is clear. but in BOTH examples, there are plenty of cases that already go unreported due to those "obstacles". in BOTH examples, if naming and shaming was a further consequence, EVEN LESS incidents like that will see the light of justice.

    = 14 y/o fans still getting statutorily raped. = step-daughters still being abused.

  • strewnAmongst

    so yes, I support name suppression, at a judge's discretion. and I think you'll find that most organizations who deal with sex offenders and victims of sex offences – i.e. are close to the fire – will too.