Justin Bieber reflects on growth since 2014 arrest

Written by . Published: April 24 2017

Justin Bieber has shared his mugshot from his 2014 arrest on Instagram to reflect on how far he has come since then.


The 23-year-old was arrested in January, 2014 for allegedly drag racing in Miami Beach, Florida and he subsequently failed a field sobriety test and was charged with driving under the influence (DUI), driving with an expired license and resisting arrest.

A mug shot taken of Justin during his time in custody hit headlines around the world at the time. He shared the infamous picture, which showed him in an orange jumpsuit and smiling for the camera, on Instagram on Sunday (23Apr17) side by side with a snap of a recent selfie. The word "then" was typed onto the mugshot while "now" had been written on the selfie.

In the caption, Justin looked back on his growth and reminded himself that he still has some way to go.

"I LOVE THIS because it reminds me I'M NOT EXACTLY WHERE I WANT TO BE BUT THANK GOD I'M NOT WHERE I USED TO BE!! THE BEST IS YET TO COME. DO YOU BELIEVE IT?" he wrote.

The Sorry singer avoided jail time for the offense and struck a plea deal with prosecutors so he pleaded guilty to lesser charges of misdemeanor careless driving and resisting arrest. He was fined and ordered to attend an anger management course and make a charitable donation.

A year later in January 2015, he issued a public apology via an online video message, insisting he was only pretending to be a bad boy.

"Why I say 'pretending' is often we pretend to be something we're not as a cover up of what we're truly feeling inside," he explained. "I really want people to know how much I care, how much I care about people, and how I'm not that person to say, 'I don't give a f**k,' you know? I'm not that kid... I just want to make the best impression on people and be kind and loving and gentle and soft.

Later that year (15) he made his pop comeback with his album Purpose, which spawned hits such as Sorry, What Do You Mean? and Love Yourself.