Responce: The Face of Criminality

Jared, I thought you made a very thorough presentation.  I cannot recall any moment when you were unclear.  You did a very good job.

The mug shot is a significant part of the criminal justice system and popular culture.  One can search for these simple pictures on Google or in databases and they are so popular that there are television shows that count down the top celebrity mug shots.  A booking shot does not mean the defendant is guilty; just that they have been arrested and booked at the police station.  However, one problem with the wide availability of booking photos is that people often make up their mind about the guilt or innocence of the accused from viewing their mug shot alone.  I do not believe it is possible to discern guilt or innocence from a mug shot, but many people try to do this subconsciously.

From a mug shot, the viewer can read many different emotions on the accused person’s face.  Because these photos are taken when the person reaches the booking station, they are not able to collect themselves or prepare, so whatever they are feeling is often obvious.  Sorrow, confusion, fear and embarrassment can be read on many faces as they are caught off guard.  But, these pictures can be misleading because of the situation in which the subjects find themselves.  Many of these emotions can be a direct result from being arrested and the possibility of facing charges rather than guilt from committing a crime.  Sorrow, anger and confusion are all common emotions after someone is arrested.  Fear is also very common; not the fear of being caught, but the fear of not knowing what is going to happen.  For this reason, it is very difficult to decide that a person is guilty or innocent simply by looking at their mug shot.

However, one mug shot trait is a dead give-away that a crime has been committed.  Often, when a person looks like they are drunk, they are most likely drunk.  Mug shots of people accused of driving under the influence, being drunk and disorderly and similar charges are plastered all over the internet.  This includes those of celebrities.  Some signs of drunkenness are smeared makeup, messed-up hair and a dazed look as if they do not really understand what is happening.  This also applies to people in strange outfits (like the naked man wearing silver body paint) and often, to people who appear naked.  One can almost always guess whether that a person is guilty of a crime from a mug shot with these characteristics.

It is impossible to know if a person is guilty or innocent from looking at their mug shot unless they appear to be very drunk, and a mug shot does not imply guilt or even that a crime has taken place.  However, this does not stop people from speculating on the guilt or innocence of the person in the photograph.  This can be damaging because this kind of speculation can sway the jury one way or another if they are exposed to the pictures through the media.  But, mug shots are an important way of keeping a record of people who have been arrested in case they ever commit another crime, so people will continue to speculate about them until society finds a better way.