The prevalence of the internet today means that information is being shared faster and more efficiently than ever before. This is especially true within the legal and judicial sectors, where people need to find information about crimes and other events as quickly as possible. Mug shots are police record pictures of people who have been arrested. These are used for identification by investigators or the victims of crimes, and are taken in two parts – one view from the front, and one view from the side. You can now find criminal mug shots online that have been made available to the public on a variety of web sites.
There is some debate over the value of mug shots because they have become so commonly known and are strongly associated with crime. Therefore, anyone with a mug shot is often automatically seen as a criminal, even though having a mug shot does not mean that the person was convicted of a crime. Nevertheless, many sites still make use of their First Amendment rights and publish criminal mug shots online. The most legitimate of these sites do their best not to publish any untrue information or incriminate anyone without cause.
Mugshots.com is one of the best places to find criminal mug shots online. The philosophy behind this site is that public records should be made public. Mug shots are public records, and should therefore be published in an easy-to-access format. This site features links to several articles describing the benefits of online mug shot access – arrests have been made and people have turned themselves in due to online mug shots. The mug shots on this site often have a bit of information about the person and links to relevant news stories and articles.
This site includes a blog with articles about the latest major crimes and legal news stories. There are also sections dedicated to mug shots created by the FBI and Interpol, and international police organization. There are mug shot categories for terrorism, celebrities, sports, music artists, outlaws, and gangsters. Notably, Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and John Dillinger are all included in the 'outlaws' sections. There is also a 'favorites' category which features the most viewed mug shots on the site. This section has people with strange facial tattoos, hair, expressions, or other notable features.
MugShotsOnline.com is another good place to find criminal mug shots online. This site features some slightly different types of information about the people in the photos. You will be able to see the age of the person, the location and date of the arrest, and the charges under which the person was arrested. There is a 'Most Wanted' section with mug shots of America's most wanted criminals and the crimes they are accused of. Most of these involve murder and drug trafficking. Another section provides location and contact information about children who have gone missing in America.
It is easy to think that anyone you see in criminal mug shots online is actually a criminal. Remember that mug shots are simply taken upon arrest, and are not specifically indicative of a crime. People are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, so be sure to use online mug shots wisely.
Photo Credit:Alistair Paterson
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