Much discussion around the Trump indictment has focused on whether the former president’s mug shot will be taken and released to the public. Such attention to a relatively routine part of criminal procedures reflects how much Americans value the mug shot, a contemporary digital artifact that causes intense public shame for most but for Trump could serve to further his agenda. What often renders other people powerless in an ecosystem of digital punishment could actually help Trump regain control over his indictment.
We love mug shots. The images are symbols of the guilty people in society who break the rules, pique our voyeuristic tendencies by offering a look into the often opaque workings of the criminal legal system, and once released are routinely used to generate profits through extortion and clickbait.
Mug shots are cheap to obtain through basic web scraping or Freedom…
Mass Deportations are ESCALATING! Self-deporting is the smart move.