Thread by @DrRJKavanagh

Yes our clients are real people with families, so maybe they don't want to be in a story about them being charged with a crime.

And if they do, maybe they would like to use different photos & have some context to their stories rather than just being represented by a mugshot.

https://twitter.com/tostealbread/status/1091312244753924098

Some tabloid newspapers have voluntarily agreed not to use mugshots in their reporting because they are problematic.

Newspapers like @nytimes would not normally use them in the same way.

The idea that they would use them in what's meant to be a "positive" story is troubling.

Newspapers don't have to publish something just because it's a matter of public record. Sometimes they don't, even when it's newsworthy.

Here it wasn't necessary - just a fancy graphics thing.

The people in these mugshots have not yet gone to trial - they are innocent.

Many will be acquitted or have their cases dismissed.

But they will always be in a @nytimes article as having been charged w/ a crime - in some cases ones carrying sentences of life w/o parole.

Even if they're not, why should they have these photos published in @nytimes?

When we're on trial, prosecutors always want to use our clients' mugshots even when they're irrelevant (e.g. ID's not at issue) & we oppose b/c they don't represent the reality of who our clients are.

Think about it this way - I find the best way to think about most things, especially in criminal justice.

Would you want your photo in the article? If not, then why is it OK for someone else?