People given Nike shirts to wear for mugshots

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - The sheriff’s office in Union County, Arkansas has stopped having people being booked into jail wear Nike shirts in their mugshots after an activist questioned the practice.

Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King posted a collage of the mugshots and called it "disgusting," alleging the shirts were used as a stunt to mock the company and Colin Kaepernick.

The sheriff responded on Thursday and said the the are many times that individuals enter the facility lacking proper attire and to give them a "sense of dignity", they are given clothing to wear.  Sheriff Ricky Roberts says the shirts were not purchased by the Sheriff's office to be used for the mugshots but were simply used because they were available to the staff.

"It is not our intent, nor has it ever been our intent, to demean or disparage those who are innocent until proven guilty," Roberts wrote in a statement.  "I require that my staff treat everyone with the utmost dignity and respect."

The sheriff admits that the shirts may be viewed as inappropriate and says it will "never happen again."

Roberts did say that, "We are not, and will not, be influenced by current political and social debates in the media."