Should peoples conviction's be erased from their public record after they've served their time for them?

Question

Let's say a man is arrested and convicted for fraud and does some jail time. It is very hard for people with criminal records to get jobs or even go back to school which may lead them back to a life of crime.

Answer 1

Yes and No. It's not an easy answer.

Yes because it might influence them badly later in life when they try to rebuild themselves. Depends on where you live. Also, depends on the age of the convict. Also the crime. It all depends.

No because an employee has the right to know if they're hiring an ex-rapist or a pedophile especially since a pedophile is likely to repeat.

Answer 2

yeah but it's for a good reason, who wants a con working for them in the business the've got blood sweat and tears in.

a record is a bad resume, it shows people what your capable of and have done before, unfortunately it looks horrible. what can you do?

Answer 3

No.  If a woman was raped and her attacker's record gets wiped clean, it leaves him open to do it again and not be monitored in the community.

There has to be some kind of detterent - for many, just knowing that a criminal record will be there for the rest of their life prevents them from doing a crime.

Answer 4

It depends on what the conviction was and the circumstances surrounding the crime.  If an 18year old kid, just out of high school succumbs to peer pressure and decides to steal a tube of lipstick from CVS, then yes, 10 years or more later..it should be removed. It was a crime and it was stupid, but if the person stays out of trouble..it should be sealed.

Then again, crimes like forgery, grand theft, battery, murder, rape, pedophilia, should NEVER be removed.

Answer 5

So what! The idiot shouldnt have done it. People dont change. If your morals were low enough to do it one time...society should have the right to know about it forever. If i had a business I'd never trust anyone with a criminal record.  

Answer 6

Duh! time is the easiest part of the penalty for doing a crime.

"Don't do the crime if you can't do the time" was coined by a career criminal who had no intention of getting a real job.

h**l NO!  let it stay so i don't hire you and trust you with my money after you developed a penchant for fraud.  if you learned anything in prison it was what you did to get caught and I sure don't want you to get it right with my money.

Don't break the law in the first place and get the good job.

Answer 7

yeah they should be erased, thats a good point they will not get any jobs which will lead them to not making money which will lead them to going to a life of crime again. i think that  they should be erased.

Answer 8

it really depends on the type of crime they have done

i think yes wipe the record clean for time served for petty theft

etc car theft,break and enter

but no to a clean record for any type of physical abuse

etc;rape,thuggery,child molestation so on

and i do think a clean slate makes all the difference in employment

and acceptance

x x x

Answer 9

If someone rapes children, serves a sentence and gets out and then applies for a job at a day-care center, I think they should know about it.

Answer 10

It's part of the punishment.

If you committed fraud, an employer is entitled to know it.

It's a sad fact that offenders tend to 'repeat', and the public

is entitled to protection from those with such a history.

It is too bad about the nosey mothers in law though..

There is a procedure to get a record expunged,

but it's hard to do.

Answer 11

Maybe depending on what type of crime. But overall i don't think so.