Last week there was a story about a woman who caught a fellow subway rider pleasuring himself on the train. Disgusted, she took a photo of him with her camera phone and contacted the police. After filing the police report, she wasn’t hopeful about any resolution. So she posted the pictures on the Internet to humiliate the guy.

This story is very similar to one in Korea where a woman’s dog pooped on the train and her camera phone picture was posted on the Internet. On one hand, it is great that these people are taking such an active role in crime in our society. As more and more people are armed with camera phones, there should be a decline in these types of crimes. In the subway wanker’s case, the NYPD even praised the women’s quick thinking that should help catch this guy.

But there is another hand to consider. This guy was convicted in the court of public opinion without due process as guaranteed in the constitution. In this case it wasn’t a problem as he was caught red handed in the photo. But consider a similar case where the photographic evidence isn’t as clear, or even worse has been Photoshopped. In a court of law the accused is given a chance to defend himself. In the court of public opinion, this guys life is ruined in minutes as everyone assumes he is guilty.

In closing, I think the woman did the right thing. She took photos to document the crime. She reported it to the police and submitted her evidence. But she should have stopped there and let our legal system handle it. That is what it is there for. If you were the accused in this case, you would want your chance to defend yourself, which the court of public opinion won’t give you.

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