JohnPix by RPD

When a man is caught soliciting a prostitute, the punishment police hand out is usually far less than what they will find at home when their wife or girlfriend finds out. So police in California are using the tactic of shaming Johns by posting their pictures online, in hopes the embarrassment being shared with the public will be enough to curb prostitution. The Bay Area city of Richmond is the latest to start the tactic, and already locals are seeing a difference. While Richmond police have written a disclaimer saying all suspects are innocent until proven guilty, and say they will take down the pictures if the charges are dropped or defeated; defense attorneys and legal experts have cautioned against the tactic, saying it could still prove damaging to those who are eventually found innocent of the crime. For instance, what happens when charges are dismissed or acquitted? Will their mug shots live on in a Google cache only to be discovered by neighbours, employers, and family members years later? Once information is made available on the Internet, it is captured and recaptured, so it is never erasable, and even when it does get taken down, someone might have kept a copy for their own personal collection and be able to put it back up, and from there the whole crazy cycle will start again.