I’m not advocating withholding conviction records. I’m advocating withholding arrest records. Being arrested is not a sign of guilt. Only a conviction by a lawfully constituted court or a guilty plea is. Remember? Innocent till proven guilty. There’s no good reason for arrest records in the absence of a conviction to be public, since they do not legally imply guilt.

Any hard-on cop with an axe to grind shouldn’t be permitted to ruin someone’s future merely by arresting them. That should be reserved for a judge or jury after a fair trial.

Speaking of lawsuits, if anything, jurisdictions that publicize arrest records without conviction should be sued themselves. Publishing accusations of a crime without enough evidence to convict, or even indict, borders on libel.

Having a family will not change my views one iota. I have close family who almost died during 9/11, and friends who lost family members. This did NOT in any way, shape, or form make me support the growth of the surveillance state, endless wars, nor the violation of long-standing legal procedure that came after.

And lastly, an ex-con without the ability to find a job is actually more likely to get into trouble than one who’s gainfully employed. FlyerInHI’s point about laws CREATING crime is a darned good one.