Yesterday, I (half) jokingly said that maybe we ought to put deadbeat parents on billboards as a means of deterrence. Here's a jurisdiction with an online version of the same idea:
Nassau County took down its online "Wall of Shame" Tuesday, and from now on will post only the names and photos of those who are convicted of drunken driving, said County Executive Thomas Suozzi.
The move came a day after a judge ruled that the Wall of Shame violates the rights of a woman whose name and photo were posted there.
County Executive Thomas Suozzi insisted that the Wall of Shame has deterred people from driving drunk, and he vowed to appeal State Supreme Court Justice William LaMarca's decision. But in the meantime, he said he feels it is wise to remove the names to protect the county from a torrent of lawsuits.
"The decision [to post people's names before they were convicted] was made based upon the information we had at the time," he said. "But we think this is a prudent course of action."
Not a bad idea, but kinda dumb to include those merely accused, too, instead of just the ones convicted.
