The walk of shame

I don't know whether International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn is guilty or not. That's supposed to be the American justice system, after all - innocent until proven guilty.
The story of a man of influence and power taking advantage of a woman is such a cliche - think Bill Clinton, Kobe Bryant - that it is almost too easy to believe he did indeed sexually assault a hotel room maid.
And all the circumstance surrounding his capture - sitting in a first-class seat on an airplane that was bound for France, which has no extradition agreement with the United States (think Roman Polanski) - only add to that belief.
The simple fact is, Strauss-Kahn looks guilty.
Especially when they made him do the "perp" walk.
Forget cruel and unusual punishment. Forget Miranda rights. Forget fair and speedy trial before a jury of your peers.
I'm not sure that the "perp'' walk isn't absolutely the worst part of our justice system.
Go back to that line we all say we believe in: "innocent until proven guilty."
Nobody looks  innocent being paraded around in public, on television, handcuffed with police on either side, looking smug.
Don't misunderstand - I'm all for the police. It's a tough job, and they are often the underdogs in an adversarial system where it seems like the criminals have more rights than the victims, and certainly more rights than the police who are charged with protecting and investigating.
But what purpose does the 'perp' walk serve, other than to humiliate the arrested and perhaps serve as a huge first step toward conviction by the prosecutor?
Would it really make any difference to the system if a guy was arrested, handcuffed, and taken away quietly? For that matter, surrounded by police or authorities, are handcuffs even necessary? Couldn't they just escort the accused to their car, allowing him to open his own door and get into the back seat on his own power?
And don't give me that stuff about the guys and girls who go berserk and kick and scream and fall to the ground and try to bust out the windows of a squad car. When that starts to happen, slap the cuffs on them and muscle them up. They've asked for it.
But when a guy goes willingly with out struggle, doesn't he deserve - under our system of law - to be treated like he might be innocent?
I don't know.
It's just a thought.