Mugshots taint jury pools, erode due process

Lee Newspapers are infamous for publishing mugshots and the Billings Gazette is among the worst offenders.

Hunter Pauli, a freelance journalist in Montana, says he quit his job at a Lee Enterprises newspaper last year in part because he had to write so many stories about people accused of minor crimes. [Columbia Journalism Review]

Mugshots of the accused are chilling effects on the protections of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments because unflattering mugshots published in the media automatically convict the accused by tampering with the witness pool. Mugshots of the accused should be unavailable to media because unflattering mugshots give prosecutors prejudice during plea negotiations.

Larry, there's a reason I rarely share judicial process stories from any publication. My choice has less to do with tainting due process and more to do with justice not being a poor man's game.

— Tom Lutey (@TomLutey) October 25, 2018