Our buddy Cranky Old M.G. has amassed an impressive collection:
I know that if I were a petty criminal, I’d be anxious to get the stink of jail off me too, but perhaps leaving your ID bracelet on the street isn’t wise. You could become a victim of identity theft!
Read on to hear the whole story and view the photo in its entirety.
Shouldn’t their names be greeked out? This seems like a serious invasion of these people’s privacy.
It’s a fine line. If I had pulled these out of a dumpster all at once, or even individually from some other standard trash receptacle, I would tend to agree with you. In other words, if I had any reason to think that these people cared even a little bit about their reputations… but no. I found the bracelets discarded on bushes, sidewalks and in gutters. So… fair use.
Once, I saw a wino still wearing his bracelet while chatting with his buddies who were waiting for the liquor store to open. I felt the collector’s urge creep up on me and thought about offering him a couple of bucks for it. But that’s just wrong. Or is it?
Do you have two from the same guy in that collection? (far right and fourth from left)?
The info revealed here isn’t much different than what most people post publicly on Facebook…except for the whole having been jailed thing. But I’m with Captain Crank- if they just littered this info they can’t be too worried about the news getting out.
Pretty unique collection!
Facebook is not (and should not be) the standard of what can be put online without an individual’s consent.
It is problematic to refer to any of these people as “petty criminals” and could open you up to a defamation action if any of these individuals have not been convicted of a crime.
It also fails to account for the fact that the bracelets COULD have been thrown away originally and ended up on the street any number of ways.
And, of course, aside from the legal implications, there are the moral ones. It’s easy to glibly call people criminals simply because you found their prison bracelet on the ground, but it’s pretty shitty to post all of this stuff online without getting consent to do so. Why not pick on a portion of society a little less downtrodden?
Hear, hear, James.
It’s easy to find evidence of unfortunate people comprising themselves in the public sphere. Documenting and submitting that to the hyper-public permanent record of the Internet (plus your uninformed take) is a different matter with distinct consequences.
Too bad real people need to keep getting damaged for us to continue this theoretical discussion about where to draw a line that basic measures of empathy and accountability ought to dictate.
Before we go wandering too far afield in fantasyland, I’d like to remind you (James, that is) that 1) I didn’t call anyone a petty criminal — I wrote, “if I were a petty criminal”, and 2) If any of these people were arrested for anything really serious, their names and pictures could be expected to turn up in any newspaper, television report (and national wire service) with no question of ethical breach.
Finally, you are free to imagine any scenario you like for the paths of these bracelets into my hands over the course of three years, but you weren’t there. And I must warn you that leading your ethics with your imagination (consistently) will lead you to a paralysis in which no consequential action is possible.
these are way better than my lil homies!
i’m soo jealous.
A friend of mine bartends at the Gold Cane and he’s accepted jail bracelets as I.D. before. That’s the Gold Cane for ya!
Your attempt to rationalize putting stuff like this on the internet is laughable. Talk about an ethical “fantasyland.”
Actually, I was referring to your factual fantasyland. We’ll have to continue to be divided on the ethical issues; sensitivity to the tribulations of fools will never be my strong suit.
Yes, because people who are arrested must be fools.
Well, yes, them too, now that you mention it.
Will you guys shut up already? We whited out the names.
A shame that a couple of people’s own imagined moral superiority caused the extra work, but maybe they’ll shut the fuck up now and go harass someone wearing leather or eating a hot dog or something.
Thanks! That’s pretty much what I was after.
Maybe they should make it official and put you on the Mission Mission blogging team.