# Wait.. You can wear sunglasses in your mugshot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343 "2011-06-30T01:58:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/1 "2011-06-30T01:58:13Z")
So I was watching a documentary about the Aryan Brotherhood, which is a notorious prison gang\*. In the documentary they kept showing the mugshots of two of the founders [Tyler Bingham](http://www.sme.sk/vydania/20070623/photo/TylerBinghamINTERNET.jpg) and [Barry Mills.](http://gorillaconvict.com/blog/upload/barry%20mills.jpg) They kept showing these two pictures during the documentary whenever these men were mentioned. Considering that they are both in prison, the pictures looked to me like mugshots. But wait, they let you wear [sunglasses](http://gorillaconvict.com/blog/upload/barry%20mills.jpg) during mugshots? Considering that it is the only picture of the man that the media seems to have, I would think it is the official mugshot. - You never know when you are going to get sent to max security prison for running over a heffalump or something. You need to know your alliances and groups. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/2 "2011-06-30T02:17:07Z")
A mugshot would have a placard in the photo and the prisoner wouldn’t be wearing a prison uniform yet. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/3 "2011-06-30T03:59:12Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > A mugshot would have a placard in the photo and the prisoner wouldn’t be wearing a prison uniform yet. Not entirely correct. Many jails take photos of subjects without the familiar placard. Sometimes the placard is added digitally, sometimes it isn’t. In some places the placard is still used, and in some places a chalkboard or dry erase board is used in it’s stead. In any case, it is completely plausible that an arrested subjects photo would not have the familiar date and booking number on it. Also, many people are arrested while wearing clothes that are not acceptable to wear in jail or even in the booking room. This can be as minor as a sleeveless shirt. These subjects are “changed over” immediately into inmate clothing, even before they are photographed or fingerprinted. When people are arrested with eyeglasses and sunglasses on their person, they are also photographed wearing those glasses. This is in case they committed other crimes while wearing those items. The photos are available to other law enforcement agencies who may be investigating other crimes committed by the subject. Taking a suspects photo while wearing sunglasses is common. But another photo without the glasses is also taken. This is also true in the case of false mustaches/beards and wigs. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/4 "2011-06-30T06:31:15Z")
Hey, they didn’t even make the Joker [take off his makeup!](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://arts-wallpapers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Joker-Joker-Batman-Batman-dark-knight-dark-Knight-Prison-300x168.jpg&imgrefurl=http://arts-wallpapers.com/wordpress/2011/04/joker-wallpaper/&usg=__RWCLYFCuW7KhDvdH5jBpVPgfsg8=&h=168&w=300&sz=10&hl=en&start=0&sig2=0KZTuM9wJvQRsw4CrNR75A&zoom=1&tbnid=-FsjLPlAU9Jw5M:&tbnh=112&tbnw=200&ei=WxcMTtOyEoP0tgPgzbT-DQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djoker%2Bjail%2Bbatman%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1250%26bih%3D628%26tbm%3Disch%26prmd%3Divns&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=971&vpy=288&dur=913&hovh=134&hovw=240&tx=126&ty=60&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:0) ---
**Author:** ![santiago42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@santiago42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/santiago42)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/5 "2011-07-02T02:48:38Z")
Could also be prescription eyeglasses with a tint. A guy I grew up with wore glasses that looked dark enough to be sunglasses. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/6 "2011-07-03T04:46:07Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > Hey, they didn’t even make the Joker [take off his makeup!](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://arts-wallpapers.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Joker-Joker-Batman-Batman-dark-knight-dark-Knight-Prison-300x168.jpg&imgrefurl=http://arts-wallpapers.com/wordpress/2011/04/joker-wallpaper/&usg=__RWCLYFCuW7KhDvdH5jBpVPgfsg8=&h=168&w=300&sz=10&hl=en&start=0&sig2=0KZTuM9wJvQRsw4CrNR75A&zoom=1&tbnid=-FsjLPlAU9Jw5M:&tbnh=112&tbnw=200&ei=WxcMTtOyEoP0tgPgzbT-DQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djoker%2Bjail%2Bbatman%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1250%26bih%3D628%26tbm%3Disch%26prmd%3Divns&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=971&vpy=288&dur=913&hovh=134&hovw=240&tx=126&ty=60&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:0) Are we sure it comes off? I mean, isn’t that his _own skin_ now? Trinopus (“id eez nod a bask, bamzelle, id eez by fathe!”) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/7 "2011-07-03T04:51:35Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > …they kept showing the mugshots of two of the founders [Tyler Bingham](http://www.sme.sk/vydania/20070623/photo/TylerBinghamINTERNET.jpg)… Really, I think the first guy’s creepy facial hair should come off before the second guy’s sunglasses. ---
**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/8 "2011-07-03T08:14:15Z")
I have heard of this sort of thing. It all depends on the police department or the jail the suspect is brought to. Today, it costs nothing to snap 30 pictures of the suspect, where-as not terribly long ago it cost something in man power and equipment to snap a single picture. So today, police departments have more reason to take pictures of the suspect with sunglasses on and then with sunglasses off, hats on, hats off, jackets on, jackets off, etc. Police departments across the country will vary of course. And, I would like to see the prisons take even more information from the convicts, like a voice clip, and keep more and better DNA on file. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/9 "2011-07-04T16:44:03Z")
> [@Ficer67](#): > > I have heard of this sort of thing.Today, it costs nothing to snap 30 pictures of the suspect Except we were doing that back in '82 when I started, sans digital cameras. Shots with/without glasses, wigs, even false teeth. It was common to take anywhere from 2-20 pics of a subject with\*\* no thought of the expense.\*\* Your tax dollars at work.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-you-can-wear-sunglasses-in-your-mugshot/587343/10 "2011-07-04T21:04:52Z")
Those don’t look like mughsots. They look like pictures from their prison ID cards (both appear to be wearing prison uniforms). When you’re taking a picture for an ID card, you want the picture to look like the person as much as possible. So if they normally wear glasses, you have them wear glasses for the picture. (I’m assuming Mills’ dark glasses are prescription.)