Online, mug shots are forever – some states want to change that

Post by akomtu » Fri, May 14, 2021, 9:57 PM UTC

infogulch wrote: post #68

dfxm12 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reality is that one is innocent until proven guilty. I'm not interested in weakening this fundamental right to accommodate people who are uncomfortable admitting the fallibility of the police or our justice system. That people think if the cops arrest you, you're no longer innocent is the way bigger issue here.

Perhaps the problem is that most people are left unexposed to the reality of ridiculous arrest charges. A fight-fire-with-fire strategy might be that the government should aim to arrest all citizens at least once before age 25 and charge them with something ridiculous before dropping the charges. Ok after thinking about it for two seconds that may be a very stupid idea, but still...

Post by pmcollins » Fri, May 14, 2021, 10:10 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #82

andrewla wrote: post #39

I like that the proposed bills here are not attempts to force sites to remove mug shots (which seems like a losing battle) but instead just resists posting mug shots at all, which seems like something that police departments have complete control over. Unless it serves a legitimate law enforcement end, either as part of a punishment for being convicted of a crime or to aid the public in the search for a fugitive, it…

> resists posting mug shots at all, which seems like something that police departments have complete control over Note that these laws originated from a civil rights perspective. Requiring the publication of arrests makes it harder for the police to disappear people.

Post by wizzwizz4 » Fri, May 14, 2021, 10:13 PM UTC

dfxm12 wrote: post #66

itake wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"we can take is to not put so much blind faith in cops." Unfortunately, we can't just tell everyone "stop trusting arrest reports" because that just isn't how the world works. The problem is companies will compare 2 equal candidates, but one with an arrest record. The one without the arrest will get the job. Do you have any other ideas?

There are already laws that protect certain classes of individuals in situations like housing and employment. It's not hard to apply these laws to other classes.

Post by delecti » Fri, May 14, 2021, 10:32 PM UTC

cabaalis wrote: post #88

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> resists posting mug shots at all, which seems like something that police departments have complete control over Note that these laws originated from a civil rights perspective. Requiring the publication of arrests makes it harder for the police to disappear people.

> Requiring the publication of arrests makes it harder for the police to disappear people. I see this so much in our society. A reaction to a "bad" practice which was actually invented to combat another "bad" practice. It leads me to believe there is just no way to contractualize human behavior over a sufficiently long period of time.

Post by a1369209993 » Fri, May 14, 2021, 10:43 PM UTC

pmcollins wrote: post #94

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> resists posting mug shots at all, which seems like something that police departments have complete control over Note that these laws originated from a civil rights perspective. Requiring the publication of arrests makes it harder for the police to disappear people.

why not give the suspect a choice? would you prefer your mugshot be published online, google-able for years, or would you rather not, and risk getting ‘disappeared’ by your local police dept without a trace. i know which one i’d choose.