BOISE, Idaho — On Friday, Feb. 11, Rep. Brooke Green of Boise brought a bill forward that would prohibit law enforcement from releasing mug shots for non-violent misdemeanors.
House Bill 620 is a piece of legislation that, if passed, “protects the booking image of an individual who, within 24 hours of booking had been detained or hospitalized for a mental purpose. Provided that the crime was a misdemeanor not involving assault or battery."
According to the introduced bill, law enforcement would be prohibited from releasing a mug shot to the public if the criteria for the incidents align with the above details.
"It is a provision is to enable and to provide for these individuals, an opportunity to get help, the last thing these people want is one of their worst moments, especially a moment they may not necessarily recall, captured in film," Green said. “I think it’s one step forward in ensuring that we are putting the appropriate provisions to allow those folks who because their mental illness entering the judicial system through this way the means and the mechanism to go ahead and get the help and privacy.”
A mug shot was released of Green's best friend Jessica Harrison after being arrested in 2019 for trespassing and disturbing the peace. Harrison died by suicide.
“Sure enough, when she did enter the system, as a result of being arrested for trespassing and disturbing the peace, her mug shot was out there and it became entertainment for the nightly news that night and my best friend's worst moment became everybody else's entertainment,” Green said.
According to Green, Harrison is the reason she had the courage and passion to bring forward a bill like House Bill 620. She wonders what the outcome would have been if this bill were in place before Jessica was arrested.
“If this bill was in place when Jessica found herself arrested, it would have given her the dignity and the privacy to get the help and that image would not have been disseminated or made available via public records, so her worst moment in time wouldn't have been everybody else's entertainment," Green said. “If it would have given her the ability to have the privacy that maybe the outcome would have been different."
The bill will be heard on February 25.
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