Smile, you're on DUI Web site
By
Katie McDevitt, Tribune
December 14, 2005
Driving
drunk now comes at an even higher price — public shame. Sobering
Sentences, a Web site created by the Maricopa County Attorney’s
Office, displays names and faces of people convicted of driving
under the influence.
It
also tells stories of children killed by drunken drivers, and flashes
photos of fiery crashes and disfigured faces.
"If
these people feel embarrassed to have their pictures up, then frankly
that’s tough," County Attorney Andrew Thomas said. "Maybe
other people tempted to drive drunk will see this and realize this
is the type of fame they would rather not have."
The
Web site will display only convicted offenders, focusing on extreme
or aggravated DUI offenses. The photos will be changed
monthly.
"I
certainly think it seems a little gimmicky," said Scott Maasen,
a Scottsdale defense attorney. "This is the same thing we see
with Sheriff Joe’s jail cameras, and you don’t see crime
rates going down."
"Everyone
on here has been convicted, but this appears to us to be an additional
punishment imposed by the (county attorney), not a jury, judge or
Legislature" said Dawn Wyland, interim director of the Arizona
chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "The (county
attorney’s) job is not to sit around and figure out additional
ways to punish people."
Web
sites that display sex offenders in a similar manner are authorized
by statute, Wyland said.
The
Web site also has:
•
Links to DUI statutes and organizations such as Mothers Against
Drunk Driving.
•
Statewide news about drunken driving.
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