Electronic "Scarlet Letter": Criminal Backgrounding and a Perpetual Spoiled Identity

• NCJ Number: 235496
• Journal: Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 50 Issue: 1-4 Dated: April 2011 Pages: 101-118
• Author(s): Daniel S. Murphy; Brian Fuleihan; Stephen C. Richards; Richard S. Jones
• Date Published: 2011
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses electronic criminal records as today's 'scarlet letter'.

Abstract

Crimes are multifaceted events that are not adequately explained with basic descriptors, yet a considerable amount of significance is afforded to relatively few simplistic labels that make up the contemporary "scarlet letter." Today's criminal records create a lifetime of stigmatization for a person. These public records employ a limited range of information. By acknowledging the deleterious effects of even one documented criminal event on an individual's self-concept and status in society, we cannot avoid being faced with a serious moral dilemma in light of society's prevalent reliance upon electronic criminal records. The electronic brand carried for life poses great challenges to offender rehabilitation and reintegration. (Published Abstract)