What we are witnessing is the pitiful defense of poorly constructed and ill-conceived legislation. The St. Paul, Minnesota Police Department has launched a page on its official website posting pictures and biographical information of individuals suspected of prostitution or soliciting prostitution. The site includes a disclaimer stating that all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty, but includes no other information on whether the individuals have been indicted or aquitted. Teresa Nelson, Legal Counsel of the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, said the police web site and its plan to broadcast the information on a police cable-access television program violate all of the individual's rights to due process of law since the parties appearing on the site have not been convicted. There are definite constitutional issues here.
Individuals have the right to due process.
It's like branding them or giving them a scarlet letter. Nelson also questioned the security of the police web site saying that photographs and information about innocent people could be uploaded by hackers. Online A Michigan State Representative, Dave Jaye, has also recently launched a web page containing the names of 275 individuals from his county who are registered with the state Public Sex Offenders Registry. Despite the possibility of error and vigilantism on the site it provides names, addresses, and other personal information about registered offenders and is searchable by zip code. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan opposes the posting of the list on the Internet and stating that legal problems can arise if any innocent persons are identified on the site.