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View Poll Results: Okay to show faces of 'suspects' in your country?
Yes, I'm fine with it 5 50.00%
That's not cool at all 5 50.00%
Voters: 10. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 10-15-2014, 08:41 PM
 
Location: Singapore
156 posts, read 286,273 times
Reputation: 174

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I'm curious if it's the norm in your country for criminal suspects to have their photos splashed in the media upon arrest. By 'suspect', I mean people who have yet to undergo trial and more importantly, have yet to be pronounced guilty.

Are you comfortable with that if it's actually happening in your country? I mean, does judicial penalty ever involve shaming especially when the suspect's culpability is still in question?
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Old 10-15-2014, 08:56 PM
 
Location: Where the heart is...
4,927 posts, read 5,278,108 times
Reputation: 10673
Quote:
Originally Posted by lepillow View Post
I'm curious if it's the norm in your country for criminal suspects to have their photos splashed in the media upon arrest. By 'suspect', I mean people who have yet to undergo trial and more importantly, have yet to be pronounced guilty.

Are you comfortable with that if it's actually happening in your country? I mean, does judicial penalty ever involve shaming especially when the suspect's culpability is still in question?
Yep, I'm okay with it. Currently it appears they are now being referenced as a "a person of interest" as opposed to a "suspect" and it is really a form of identifying this "person of interest" through the media for the public, friends, family, acquaintances who will hopefully inform the appropriate law enforcement authority.
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Old 10-15-2014, 09:08 PM
 
Location: San Diego, California Republic
16,572 posts, read 27,269,659 times
Reputation: 9002
Quote:
Originally Posted by HomeIsWhere... View Post
Yep, I'm okay with it. Currently it appears they are now being referenced as a "a person of interest" as opposed to a "suspect" and it is really a form of identifying this "person of interest" through the media for the public, friends, family, acquaintances who will hopefully inform the appropriate law enforcement authority.
Those two terms have slightly different meanings. A person of interest could simply be someone who may be cooperating with law enforcement where as a suspect is a more clearly defined term as a person who is not yet proven to be a perpetrator.
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Old 10-15-2014, 09:36 PM
 
Location: Singapore
156 posts, read 286,273 times
Reputation: 174
Quote:
Originally Posted by HomeIsWhere... View Post
Yep, I'm okay with it. Currently it appears they are now being referenced as a "a person of interest" as opposed to a "suspect" and it is really a form of identifying this "person of interest" through the media for the public, friends, family, acquaintances who will hopefully inform the appropriate law enforcement authority.
I'm actually referring to people who have already been arrested by the police to assist in investigations. I mean, are you okay with the shaming of these people whose guilt has yet been determined? (by splashing their images indiscriminately in the media).
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Old 10-15-2014, 09:48 PM
 
Location: Where the heart is...
4,927 posts, read 5,278,108 times
Reputation: 10673
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gentoo View Post
Those two terms have slightly different meanings. A person of interest could simply be someone who may be cooperating with law enforcement where as a suspect is a more clearly defined term as a person who is not yet proven to be a perpetrator.
I agree with you completely they do 'sound' like they have different meanings, don't they? But here in the Midwest (I can't speak for other areas of the country because I don't live there nor listen to their news broadcasts) "person of interest" may ultimately boil down to actually being the "suspect".

"Person of interest" is a term used by U.S. law enforcement when identifying someone involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no legal meaning, but refers to someone in whom the police are "interested", either because the person is cooperating with the investigation, may have information that would assist the investigation, or possesses certain characteristics that merit further attention.

While terms such as suspect, target, and material witness have clear and sometimes formal definitions, person of interest remains undefined by the U.S. Department of Justice. Unsub is a similar term which is short for "unknown subject" (used often, for example, in the TV show Criminal Minds). Person of interest is sometimes used as a euphemism for suspect, and its careless use may encourage trials by media.

With respect to terrorism investigations, Eric Lichtblau wrote in the New York Times: "Law enforcement officials say that the term simply reflects the new tactics required to fight terrorism. But some legal scholars say officials are trying to create a more benign public image, even as their power expands.

Person of interest - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the law enforcement jargon, a suspect is a known person suspected of committing a crime.

A common error in police reports is a witness description of the suspect (as a witness generally describes a perpetrator, while a mug shot is of suspect). Frequently it is stated that police are looking for the suspect, when there is no suspect; the police could be looking for a suspect, but they are surely looking for the perpetrator, and very often it is impossible to tell from such a police report whether there is a suspect or not.

Possibly because of the misuse of suspect to mean perpetrator, police in the early 21st century began to use person of interest, possible suspect, and even possible person of interest, to mean suspect.

Under the judicial systems of the U.S., once a decision is approved to arrest a suspect, or bind him over for trial, either by a prosecutor issuing an information, a grand jury issuing a true bill or indictment, or a judge issuing an arrest warrant, the suspect can then be properly called a defendant, or the accused. Only after being convicted is the suspect properly called the perpetrator.

Suspect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Last edited by HomeIsWhere...; 10-15-2014 at 10:36 PM..
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Old 10-15-2014, 10:33 PM
 
Location: Where the heart is...
4,927 posts, read 5,278,108 times
Reputation: 10673
Quote:
Originally Posted by lepillow View Post
I'm curious if it's the norm in your country for criminal suspects to have their photos splashed in the media upon arrest. By 'suspect', I mean people who have yet to undergo trial and more importantly, have yet to be pronounced guilty.

Are you comfortable with that if it's actually happening in your country? I mean, does judicial penalty ever involve shaming especially when the suspect's culpability is still in question?
Perhaps because it is the 'norm' in America to broadcast, via various media, the photo of a suspect, I don't considerate it shaming and I don't think there is a 'judicial penalty' which purposely involves shaming.

I look at it as a tool to identify someone that law enforcement either wishes to speak with in order to discover or ascertain what that person may know of certain events OR they believe that person to be suspected of a particular crime.

Either way, I don't see it as shaming...but rather identifying someone law enforcement believe has knowledge of certain events.

suspect (verb) have an idea or impression of the existence, presence, or truth of (something) without certain proof.

suspect (noun) a person thought to be guilty of a crime or offense.
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Old 10-16-2014, 12:08 AM
 
Location: San Diego, California Republic
16,572 posts, read 27,269,659 times
Reputation: 9002
Quote:
Originally Posted by HomeIsWhere... View Post
I agree with you completely they do 'sound' like they have different meanings, don't they? But here in the Midwest (I can't speak for other areas of the country because I don't live there nor listen to their news broadcasts) "person of interest" may ultimately boil down to actually being the "suspect".

"Person of interest" is a term used by U.S. law enforcement when identifying someone involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no legal meaning, but refers to someone in whom the police are "interested", either because the person is cooperating with the investigation, may have information that would assist the investigation, or possesses certain characteristics that merit further attention.

While terms such as suspect, target, and material witness have clear and sometimes formal definitions, person of interest remains undefined by the U.S. Department of Justice. Unsub is a similar term which is short for "unknown subject" (used often, for example, in the TV show Criminal Minds). Person of interest is sometimes used as a euphemism for suspect, and its careless use may encourage trials by media.

With respect to terrorism investigations, Eric Lichtblau wrote in the New York Times: "Law enforcement officials say that the term simply reflects the new tactics required to fight terrorism. But some legal scholars say officials are trying to create a more benign public image, even as their power expands.

Person of interest - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the law enforcement jargon, a suspect is a known person suspected of committing a crime.

A common error in police reports is a witness description of the suspect (as a witness generally describes a perpetrator, while a mug shot is of suspect). Frequently it is stated that police are looking for the suspect, when there is no suspect; the police could be looking for a suspect, but they are surely looking for the perpetrator, and very often it is impossible to tell from such a police report whether there is a suspect or not.

Possibly because of the misuse of suspect to mean perpetrator, police in the early 21st century began to use person of interest, possible suspect, and even possible person of interest, to mean suspect.

Under the judicial systems of the U.S., once a decision is approved to arrest a suspect, or bind him over for trial, either by a prosecutor issuing an information, a grand jury issuing a true bill or indictment, or a judge issuing an arrest warrant, the suspect can then be properly called a defendant, or the accused. Only after being convicted is the suspect properly called the perpetrator.

Suspect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Understood and I can't speak for the Midwest. In California and Washington, they have different meaning and different connotations.
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Old 10-16-2014, 01:45 AM
 
Location: Hong Kong / Vienna
4,499 posts, read 6,310,704 times
Reputation: 3986
Quote:
Originally Posted by lepillow View Post
I'm actually referring to people who have already been arrested by the police to assist in investigations. I mean, are you okay with the shaming of these people whose guilt has yet been determined? (by splashing their images indiscriminately in the media).
It's highly illegal to do that here in Austria. Even after a huge police/military operation to stop a guy who shot multiple people they only showed this photo of him and referred to him as "H.".

I think showing pictures and the names of suspects or not yet convicted people adds nothing of importance to a story. And chances are that that guy is in fact not guilty.
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Old 10-16-2014, 12:41 PM
 
Location: Taipei
8,844 posts, read 8,352,061 times
Reputation: 7385
It's ok to show faces of suspects here. They do that all the time.

Yet another reason to hate Taiwan.
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Old 10-16-2014, 08:48 PM
 
3 posts, read 2,645 times
Reputation: 10
Wanted suspects, yes they show them
Arrested people, not shown officially by the government, covered with something
Legal to take photos if arrested people appear in public, like walking in or out of police stations and courts. Photographing not allowed inside police stations and courts.
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