'John-shaming' - the new police tactic in the fight against prostitution: Cops line up culprits and post their name and picture on Facebook to embarrass them

By Ashley Collman for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

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 find 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. 

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Not a proud moment: The Richmond, California police department has been posting pictures of men caught soliciting prostitutes
Not a proud moment: The Richmond, California police department has been posting pictures of men caught soliciting prostitutes

Not a proud moment: The Richmond, California police department has been posting pictures of men caught soliciting prostitutes

Jim Sciarroni owns an auto body shop on 23rd Street, which is a hot-spot for prostitution in the area.

Since the department started posting the pictures on their Facebook page, Sciarroni told KTVU: 'Traffic has slowed down, there's very few that come by here during the day. The traffic on Ohio has quieted down.'

But defense attorneys and legal experts have cautioned against the tactic, saying it could prove damaging to those who are eventually found innocent of the crime. 

'What happens when charges are dismissed or acquitted? Will their mug shots live on in a Google cache for years, only to be discovered by neighbors, employers and family members years later?' San Francisco public defender Jeff Adachi asked SFGate. 'Once information is made available on the Internet, it is captured and recaptured, so it is never erasable.'

San Francisco resident Giovanni Avila, 47, was one of 11 men busted Thursday for soliciting undercover cops and he claims he's innocent. 

Innocent: Giovanni Avila was one of the 11 busted Thursday in the prostitution sting. He says he's innocent and that he thinks the shaming system is harmful 

Innocent: Giovanni Avila was one of the 11 busted Thursday in the prostitution sting. He says he's innocent and that he thinks the shaming system is harmful 

Trend: The Richmond Police Department is one of many in California starting to John-shame on Facebook 

Trend: The Richmond Police Department is one of many in California starting to John-shame on Facebook 

He was driving with a friend to get tacos when they started chatting up the women and talking sex, but says he had no intention of actually going through with any of it.   

'They may catch some guys that do that every day, but then again, they might catch another guy that was not planning on doing that and never has done that before,' he said. 'I think it's an invasion of privacy. That could hurt some people's lives and way of living.'

One legal expert also says there's evidence that shaming criminals doesn't stop them committing crimes. 

'Rather than encouraging offenders to change their ways,' Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson said, 'offenders become angrier and engage in even more criminal behavior.' 

The 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.   

Charged: Richmond Police write a disclaimer on their Facebook saying all of the suspects arrested are innocent until proven guilty 

Charged: Richmond Police write a disclaimer on their Facebook saying all of the suspects arrested are innocent until proven guilty 

The police also promise to take down the photos is the charges are dropped or defeated in each of the cases 
The police also promise to take down the photos is the charges are dropped or defeated in each of the cases 

Promises: The police also promise to take down the photos if the charges are dropped or defeated in each of the cases 

Embarrassing: However, some defense attorneys believe that may not be enough and that the men's reputations can be ruined forever  

Embarrassing: However, some defense attorneys believe that may not be enough and that the men's reputations can be ruined forever  

Effective? Legal experts also say that embarrassing a  criminal may not necessarily lead them to quit committing crimes

Effective? Legal experts also say that embarrassing a  criminal may not necessarily lead them to quit committing crimes

 

 

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