Mug shot.

I often wonder why mugshots always make the subject appear ugly. Even the "beautiful" people, the Hollywood stars, look beaten in their mugshots.

Maybe it's the situation on hand; one had been booked for a violation.

The ex-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo didn't show her "factual" mugshots to the public. Those which appeared were "doctored" copies. Why? Because a mugshot always literally shows the bad angle of a person; it connotes a wrong doing.

True or false?  Mugshot of ex-President GMA, published by Inquirer.

Toyz asked me to google an ex-office mate who'd been arrested for assault in Arizona; her interest was piqued when a Balikbayan ex-office mate relayed the news. Presto, we found the person's mugshot. I personally don't  know the person but seeing some one's sharp image on the computer screen, a mugshot at that, stirs something in me.

My initial reaction was, "How dare this website display people's mugshots."  

The information the page contain, aside from the photo, are the gender, race, age, height, weight, the case number, place of arrest and the purported charge or violation.  And if the searcher wants more data, s/he should pay the website.

Oh, yes, there's a rider which says, "a person charged is innocent until proven guilty."

Apparently there are many websites offering such information. There's a jailbase, busted mugshots, arrestcentral, mugshotsword among others.

I asked myself, what could be the purpose of such websites and search engines.  

The answer is quite simple. It aids people who are searching for other people, who are trying to establish identities of individuals, who are proving/probing the characters of people with whom they are going to do business with, hiring, entrusting their affairs, or even checking on future partners for themselves or for their children. In plain language, it's an on-line police clearance.

Toyz wondered aloud what this ex-office mate could have done when the person was relatively new in the U.S. when s/he got arrested.

I could only venture that maybe s/he didn't know yet the ways of the people there and s/he could have gotten entangled with the wrong people. Who knows. The website doesn't provide the details. 

All I know is that in the U.S.A or Canada, these things become public knowledge and documents.  Even in the sleepy town of Steubenville, Ohio, those who'd been cited for simple misdismeanors such as over speeding find their names in the local papers. 

Which brings to mind the ongoing impeachment trial of the Chief Justice Corona. It took an impeachment trial to expose all those skeletons hidden way deep into the recesses of his and family's closet/s.  

Wouldn't it have been nice if there is a similar website here in the Philippines where prospective employers, future in laws, future spouses and just about anybody else could consult or refer to before hiring or hitching with someone?

Holywood actress Lindsay Lohan's mugshot, one of many.

James, "Mr. Soul" Brown mugshot.

Famous people get their mugshots over simple charges, grabbing paparazzi camera and dangerous driving are the two common ones or a more serious one like driving under the influence, while unknown offenders could hide forever.

Mugshot of RJ Bautista, accused in the murder of his brother, actor Ramgen Revilla.