what is mug shot photo

A mug shot is a photographic portrait of a person from the shoulders up, typically taken after a person is arrested. The original purpose of the mug shot was to allow law enforcement to have a photographic record of an arrested individual to allow for identification by victims, the public, and investigators. A typical mug shot is two-part, with one side-view photo and one front-view photo. The background is usually plain and the person is often required to remove any headwear or accessories. Mug shots date back to the 19th century and were once used to create rogues galleries, which are bulletin boards covered with the photos of wanted criminals, used to remind law enforcement officials of primary targets. In many regions, mug shots are public domain images and can be published freely in publications or online. However, some judges and regions do not permit the use of an identifying mug shot as part of a trial presentation because juries may have an automatic negative association with these familiar pictures, which may call up prejudicial visions of Old West “wanted” posters.