mugshots of a minor
By dyuntin1
@dyuntin1 (1)
4 responses
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
14 Jun 12
No, it is not. The Mugshots FAQs say:
[i]Isn’t publishing my mug shot a violation of my rights?
No, it is not. Originally collected and distributed by Law Enforcement agencies, Booking records are considered and legally recognized as public records, in the public domain. Furthermore, while it may be you or someone you know in the mugshot, the ownership of these records is public.
By publishing mugshots are you violating copyright laws?
No, we do not. Federal Laws allow for reproduction of public records.[/i]
The laws concerning public records are (and should be) no different whether a person is a minor or not.
This is not to say that I, personally, agree with the ethos of Mugshots.com or that I agree with the way that they word the website but they are perfectly within their rights to do what they do.
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
16 Jun 12
In that case, if one were to find a photo on Mugshot of a minor who had not been charged as an adult, it would be possible to take them to court (along with the authority which published that photo in the first place).
I imagine that Mugshot are very aware of the legal position and are quite careful not to break the law. It seems that the ethos of the site is to skate just as close to the line as they possibly can!
@chan2zexy (508)
• Philippines
18 Jun 12
I don't think there is ever a law made for this. If there is, then maybe the cops or whoever have already arrested those who published it. The internet law or cyber law has just been started, so I think cyber crimes are a lot more rampant now because of the loopholes in the law present.
@sid556 (30959)
• United States
15 Jun 12
Hi Dyuntin,
Welcome to Mylot!
I'm going to say that it must be legal. I mean, if you think about it, in order for a person to have a mugshot to begin with, he/she would have to be charged as an adult. When a minor is charged as an adult then it usually means that the crime committed was pretty serious. Now that you bring this up, I have never seen a mug shot of a minor younger than 17. I honestly don't know what the law is regarding this.
I'm going to say that it must be legal. I mean, if you think about it, in order for a person to have a mugshot to begin with, he/she would have to be charged as an adult. When a minor is charged as an adult then it usually means that the crime committed was pretty serious. Now that you bring this up, I have never seen a mug shot of a minor younger than 17. I honestly don't know what the law is regarding this. 
@freymind (1351)
• Philippines
14 Jun 12
It depends I guess on the laws on the state or country. In our country its not legal to publish the mugshot of a minor in any news outlet. Recently a 16 year old killed a doctor in one of our provinces and the news outlet first posted it but the police retracted the photo since its illegal.
