OREGON — A new law limiting law enforcement agencies in Oregon from releasing booking photos to the public goes into effect this weekend after the measure passed in the Oregon Legislature earlier this year.
Under the new statute, booking photos won’t be released to the public — except in a few narrowly defined circumstances — to protect the identity of individuals who haven’t been convicted of a crime in Oregon, The Register-Guard reported.
House Bill 3273 was sponsored by representatives Janelle Bynum, D-Clackamas, and Brad Witt, D-Clatskanie fearing that criminal defendants are negatively impacted by the photos.
“It’s time for our society to move past them,” Bynum said of booking photos in a testimony. “The day someone gets arrested can quite frankly be one the worst days of their lives. Those mugshots are sometimes of people in a mental health crisis. Those photos that are published can ruin a person’s life who has not yet been found guilty of any crime. They can linger on and impact people’s lives for years to come. We can do better for them and for others.”
According to The Register-Guard, effective Jan. 1, 2022, booking photos/mugshots are restricted from release to the general public unless the defendant has been found guilty in court, or if the law enforcement agency determines there is a public safety purpose for the release, including in assistance with apprehending a fugitive or a suspect in a criminal investigation, or the identification of additional criminal activity.
