Faces of Meth™ (http://www.facesofmeth.us) is a project of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon. The project got its start when Deputy Bret King in the Corrections Division Classification Unit put together mug shots of persons booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. Deputy King worked with his co-workers in identifying people who had been in custody more than once. He verified criminal records and files to establish and confirm a history of methamphetamine related use. Deputy King also interviewed people in custody to learn about their drug use, experiences with methamphetamine, how or if methamphetamine contributed to their criminality, and asked what they would tell young people about methamphetamine.

As a result of his hard work, Deputy King created a realistic presentation about methamphetamine. He initially didn’t want to create something that made people curious about the drug or develop a “scared straight” program. The idea was simple:  be honest with kids, let them hear directly from the inmates, and show them what people who work on the front lines see – whether it be a Corrections Deputy in the Jail, a Police Officer on the streets or a Public Health Nurse in a clinic – the effects of what methamphetamine is doing to people and to the communities.

Here are before and after photos of meth users as documented by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.

Check out methamphetamine resources