The Santa Clara Sheriff’s Department has finally released a mugshot of Brock Turner, the ex-Stanford student found guilty of rape, who was previously represented in the media by a smiling yearbook photo in which he’s wearing a suit and tie. However, the released mugshot was taken at Turner’s June 2 sentencing trial. Later Monday evening, the original mugshot, taken in January 2015, was also released:
And FINALLY, after back and forth all afternoon — #BrockTurner #Mugshot pic.twitter.com/aF198TUA1f
— Diana Prichard (@diana_prichard) June 7, 2016
The release of the photos comes after a long afternoon of back-and-forth between journalists and the sheriff’s department, who appeared hesitant to make the mugshot public. Typically, officials make criminal mugshots easily available online or through public request, following protocol to keep courts as transparent and open as possible.
Not in this case.
Turner was initially arrested by the Stanford Department of Public Safety in January, 2015. The SDPS, however, runs under the jurisdiction of the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Department — but that didn’t help in obtaining any records related to his arrest. When journalists requested the mugshot, officials at SDPS said that SCSD was responsible for sharing the photo. But SCSD said SDPS was responsible to releasing the mugshot. The sheriff’s department first turned in a mugshot taken at last week’s sentencing trial. He appears to be dressed in a suit.
Friend Of Stanford Rapist Blamed Victim, Urged Judge Not To Be ‘Politically Correct’Justice by CREDIT: Shutterstock A letter in opposition to last week’s sentencing of Brock Turner, an ex-Stanford…thinkprogress.orgPrior to the release, journalists and sexual assault prevention advocates expressed upset over what they saw as a tactical move to preserve Turner’s image.
One Twitter user, Kelly Ellis, posted screenshots from past Washington Post articles to make the point that Turner was being treated differently in the press. In stories about black men convicted of rape, each is headed by a mugshot of the man arrested. In contrast, Ellis pointed out, the Washington Post’s initial story about Turner’s crime was headed with a smiling, clean-cut photo of Turner, white, which seems taken from a school yearbook.
This is how a convicted rapist was portrayed by @washingtonpost. Include his swimming creds, avoid the word "rape" pic.twitter.com/sJj11s0hFE
— Kelly Ellis (@justkelly_ok) June 6, 2016
This scrutiny comes on the heels of Turner’s sentencing trial, where a judge sentenced the 20-year-old to a mere six months in a county jail for raping a unconscious woman. The judge’s decision was influenced by a probation report that included a letter from one of Turner’s friends who said that he wasn’t a “real rapist” and that he was suffering from “the decision of a girl who doesn’t remember anything but the amount she drank to press charges.”
This post has been updated with the 2015 mugshot.