ARREST RECORDS

My mother used to say that if you have never been arrested, you've probably been playing it too safe. Now she was not some kind of thought, quite the opposite. She was, and still is, a college professor considerable prestige. But she is also, and most importantly, a woman of conscience, and as such she has had to stand up for her beliefs many times before in this country. Recently, when the covert war that the Government waged against activists in the 60s and 70s, was finally admitted to and revealed, she had a red file about a mile long that she was able to take home. It was filled with arrest records.

Fortunately, my mother works at a prestigious university, so her arrest records have never been an obstacle to getting, or retaining employment. She has an arrest record for practically every political crime that you can imagine, from incendiary speech to resisting arrest, to whatever they charge you with for inciting others to burn their draft cards. Anyone who wants to can search or arrest records, of course, but who does? She's universally respected, and even if one of her colleagues knew, they would be unlikely to hold it against her.

Things are not so easy, however, for people working at lower and jobs. It is a good thing the public records are available. It is really, one might say, one of the foundations of our democracy. But the fact that searchable arrest records are now available all over the Internet is a problem. One of the philosophical beliefs of our justice system is that you do your time, and then you are forgiven and able to become a full member of society again. In theory, this is still true, but in practice it often is not. Any employer or potential employer can check your arrest records to see if you've ever been convicted of a crime. Although in theory they are not supposed to use these arrest records against you, in practice they can, and often do. I have a cousin who is an attorney, so I know about these things.

The fact is that arrest records, credit records, health records, and all the other paperwork that constitutes your public information is more accessible than ever. Although it is good that people, especially government officials, cannot hide behind a veil of secrecy, should we all be publicly exposed for anyone who wants to peruse our personal lives?With searchable arrest records, I feel that we have lost more than we have gained.