I was surprised to learn how much information is easily accessible on-line regarding arrest records. The jail roster is also a click away -- listing all those who spent the night incarcerated during the past three months. On a free website, I can see the last 50 arrests made in our city -- a scanned version of the whole arrest report including height, weight, etc.; driver's license number, thumbprint, birth date, address and charges. Even if knowing who is arrested is in the public interest, knowing all these details seems like TMI or identity theft waiting to happen. Does the casual web surfer really need to have access to all this -- and before the arrestee has a hearing in court?
There is a disclaimer on both saying that this is "a list of arrests, not convictions, and all arrestees are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law," but having all that information available on a public arrest record website doesn't really seem to foster guiltlessness.
Even if innocence is proven in court, the arrest record and mugshot tend to live online forever. Now the FBI is involved in cases regarding extortion -- from people who are charging extravagant fees to remove the mugshots of those whose cases were dismissed or expunged*. The court has proven them innocent, but guilt on the Internet lives on.
While the arrest records and mugshots are public records, they are only the first chapter of a story. If you're involved in any of this as an employer, sometimes it's helpful to learn of the arrest, but also learn how the "book" ends rather than just how it begins. Innocent until proven guilty is one of the tenets of our country; don't let easy access dictate otherwise.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
*Source: Mugshot sites attempt to extort, Editorial in the Telegraph Herald, August 7, 2013
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