Richard J. Emhof DUI/DWI Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Prosecutor Using Twitter to Publicly Shame DUI Suspects

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 by Richard J. Emhof

In the latest example of efforts to stigmatize those accused of DUI, a prosecutor in Texas is using twitter.com to publish the names of people arrested for DUI in his jurisdiction of Montgomery County, TX. 

While DUI is a serious crime and not to be condoned, there are a few problems with this tactic.  First, these are people accused of DUI.  They are entitled to a presumption of innocence, and public shaming before the case is resolved runs the risk of shaming someone who turns out to be innocent.  Even though arrests are a matter of public record, it seems unfair for a prosecutor to go out of his way to shame someone publicly before they’ve had their day in court. 

Secondly, why single out DUI offenders?  I imagine this particular prosecutor does not publicly shame those accused of aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, or other crimes that most would consider more heinous than a typical DUI offense.  Even Megan’s law doesn’t apply until after the offender has been convicted.

Pennsylvania DUI Lawyer Richard Emhof can help those accused of DUI in Pennsylvania.  Mr. Emhof has the knowledge and experience to achieve the best results for all clients.  Call toll free at 866-457-9957 or visit us online for a free initial consult.

Posted at 16:51 PM
Topic: DUI/DWI
Lawyers.com Blog

Lawyers.comSM Blog

Get an inside view of
Lawyers.com

Blog Topics

Bloggers

Archives

Recent...