On one hand most people want to know if they have a former violent offender in their midst. No one wants to be around a serial rapist or have their kids around a known child molester. I can understand their fears and concerns.

On the other hand, our legal system is set up mostly for the purposes of rehabilitation. We've all heard the stories of people who had their homes or places of work picketed by fearful members of a community to have them removed from that community. How is a person supposed to be rehabilitated into a respectable, useful member of society if they cant be left alone to get on with their lives? I think this website could contribute to this sort of mass hysteria.

Some people might say "Can’t do the time, don’t do the crime", but as far as I know, most criminals are sentenced to serve a certain period of time for their crimes and then are released having paid their debts to society. They are generally not sentenced to the rest of their lives, (and if they are, then they are not released among us to concern ourselves with). Services like this one carry on the stigma of former incarceration for a person's entire life with no hope of recourse or rehabilitation.

The same people might say that its a matter of public record and they would be right but the difference here is the method of obtaining that information. The normal means of gathering this information is that someone would have to drive down to their local courthouse and spend some time going through the public records until they found what they were looking for. This requires a little effort so most people wont do it unless they think there is a good reason for it. Doing it online so easily negates all of that effort so people are going to be more apt to do it for reasons which are not necessarily all that worthy. I believe the more important thing here is not the finding out but the reasoning behind it.

I think if you see some guy skulking around and you think he's up to no good then fine, go look him up. On the other hand if someone new moves into your neighborhood, you should not have the ability to easily go snooping around in his/her past just for the sake of doing so. So you see how the inconvenience of existing process affords people some measure of privacy but still guarantees that the people who need to know have the ability to find out.

As I said, its a complicated issue. I think that everyone deserves a second chance at life if they've paid their debt to society so I can't go along with a service that makes obtaining that second chance impossible. At the same time I can't fault parents for wanting to keep their kids away from predatory offenders. I guess what really needed is some type of control to insure that the information is not used irresponsibly.

Just my $00.02

Dave

On one hand most people want to know if they have a former violent offender in their midst. No one wants to be around a serial rapist or have their kids around a known child molester. I can understand their fears and concerns.

On the other hand, our legal system is set up mostly for the purposes of rehabilitation. We’ve all heard the stories of people who had their homes or places of work picketed by fearful members of a community to have them removed from that community. How is a person supposed to be rehabilitated into a respectable, useful member of society if they cant be left alone to get on with their lives? I think this website could contribute to this sort of mass hysteria.

Some people might say “Can’t do the time, don’t do the crime”, but as far as I know, most criminals are sentenced to serve a certain period of time for their crimes and then are released having paid their debts to society. They are generally not sentenced to the rest of their lives, (and if they are, then they are not released among us to concern ourselves with). Services like this one carry on the stigma of former incarceration for a person’s entire life with no hope of recourse or rehabilitation.

The same people might say that its a matter of public record and they would be right but the difference here is the method of obtaining that information. The normal means of gathering this information is that someone would have to drive down to their local courthouse and spend some time going through the public records until they found what they were looking for. This requires a little effort so most people wont do it unless they think there is a good reason for it. Doing it online so easily negates all of that effort so people are going to be more apt to do it for reasons which are not necessarily all that worthy. I believe the more important thing here is not the finding out but the reasoning behind it.

I think if you see some guy skulking around and you think he’s up to no good then fine, go look him up. On the other hand if someone new moves into your neighborhood, you should not have the ability to easily go snooping around in his/her past just for the sake of doing so. So you see how the inconvenience of existing process affords people some measure of privacy but still guarantees that the people who need to know have the ability to find out.

As I said, its a complicated issue. I think that everyone deserves a second chance at life if they’ve paid their debt to society so I can’t go along with a service that makes obtaining that second chance impossible. At the same time I can’t fault parents for wanting to keep their kids away from predatory offenders. I guess what really needed is some type of control to insure that the information is not used irresponsibly.

Just my $00.02
Dave

As an employer, criminal history checks are a standard procedure for just about every job. And when it comes to holding a position of trust, such as a government position, or a teacher, or even a lifeguard at a swimming pool, the risk of hiring people with a criminal history is too great. Such people will have to make do being trash collectors, or dustmen as you Brits call 'em.

Can't do the time, don't do the crime.

As an employer, criminal history checks are a standard procedure for just about every job. And when it comes to holding a position of trust, such as a government position, or a teacher, or even a lifeguard at a swimming pool, the risk of hiring people with a criminal history is too great. Such people will have to make do being trash collectors, or dustmen as you Brits call ‘em.

Can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.

Its hilarious that anyone that would have the balls to commit a crime would also be concerned about their privacy in regards to that crime.

The right to privacy is not in the constitution, either.

Its hilarious that anyone that would have the balls to commit a crime would also be concerned about their privacy in regards to that crime.

The right to privacy is not in the constitution, either.

It's a valid question and this is why the database is proving to be very controversial.

It’s a valid question and this is why the database is proving to be very controversial.