Why media is consumed, it has the power to influence public perception on crime, race, and fear of crime and the way individuals feel about themselves, others, and the world (hollis, downey, alex, & dobbs, 2017; Jamieson & romer, 2014). Police departments in the united states started photographing arrested men and women as early as the 1850s, and displayed their portraits for public viewing in rogues’ galleries. Early ambrotypes and tintypes captured suspects in a range of gray hues, encircled by ornamental brass frames; Occasionally, their cheeks have been tinted pink. The mass media defines the public image of police, prosecutors, courts, and corrections by acting as gatekeepers of crime coverage. But these images using the mirror represent the beginning of “official” mug shots; Using content analysis, four themes exploring prison portrayals and public perceptions were identified: 1) discrepancies between media and reality of prison experiences; When it comes to crime and punishment, this potential to change perceptions is accomplished through framing and racial priming ( graber 1980; Both processes focus on media content and the degree of exposure the mass public has with that content. As official documents, british mug shots should really only be found in public archives. However, examples do occasionally turn up at auction and on the private market. We are fortunate in having several examples, covering a wide date range, in our collection. Smith writes that police started using photography almost immediately after the daguerreotype was introduced to the public in 1839. Parisian police quickly adopted the new technology to try to catch serial offenders. This paper demonstrates, from the field of visual culture and with a historical semantic consideration of the advent of police portraiture in the united states, that mugshots carry a stigma of guilt. Filming in courts could have significant resonance and value for those that may have never witnessed a trial before and were basing their perceptions of law on films or series. Some deemed this had an important result in changing public perception about the criminal justice system, which is perceived to be in crisis (see above).
