Digitizing and Disclosing Personal Data: The Proliferation of State Criminal Records on the Internet

Digitization and the release of public records on the Internet have expanded the reach and uses of criminal record data in the United States. This study analyzes the types and volume of personally identifiable data released on the Internet via two hundred public governmental websites for law enforcement, criminal courts, corrections, and criminal record repositories in each state. We find that public disclosures often include information valuable to the personal data economy, including the full name, birthdate, home address, and physical characteristics of arrestees, detainees, and defendants. Using administrative data, we also estimate the volume of data disclosed online. Our findings highlight the mass dissemination of pre-conviction data: every year, over ten million arrests, 4.5 million mug shots, and 14.7 million criminal court proceedings are digitally released at no cost. Post-conviction, approximately 6.5 million current and former prisoners and 12.5 million people with a felony conviction have a record on the Internet. While justified through public records laws, such broad disclosures reveal an imbalance between the “transparency” of data releases that facilitate monitoring of state action and those that facilitate monitoring individual people. The results show how the criminal legal system increasingly distributes Internet privacy violations and community surveillance as part of contemporary punishment

“Satan’s Minions” and “True Believers”: How Criminal Defense Attorneys Employ Quasi-Religious Rhetoric and What It Suggests about Lawyering Culture

The notion of law as sacred, and lawyers as righteous saviors, may seem anachronistic in the current context of heavy caseloads and expedited processing in the criminal justice system. Nevertheless, language reflecting these ideals still permeates defense attorneys’ descriptions of their roles, their legal practice, and their relationships to their colleagues and adversaries. We examine this language – specifically, attorneys’ quasi-religious rhetoric – to better understand courtroom dynamics: how attorneys see themselves, their work, their colleagues, and their legal adversaries. In this analysis of semi-structured interviews with 30 defense attorneys, we find that attorneys use of quasi-religious rhetoric manifests as a cultural practice that helps to establish and maintain professional identities, boundaries, and relationships. Our findings also suggest that young and novice public defenders are likely to express especially zealous views, which may compromise their efforts to collaborate within the adversarial system, as well as contribute to burnout

Digital punishment : privacy, stigma, and the consequences of data-driven criminal justice

The proliferation of data-driven criminal justice operations has created millions of criminal records each year in the United States. Documenting everything from a police stop to a prison sentence, these records take on a digital life of their own as they are collected by law enforcement and courts, posted on government websites, re-posted on social media, online news and mugshot galleries, and bought and sold by data brokers. The result is “digital punishment,” where mere suspicion or a brush with the law can have lasting consequences. This presentation will discuss several empirical, mixed methods studies of digital criminal records, with a focus on criminal record accuracy, disclosure, and public policy solutions

Chasing a clean slate: the shifting roles of privacy and technology in criminal record expungement law and policy

This Article explores criminal record expungement policy in the United States through the lens of privacy interests. Embarking on a historical policy analysis spanning from the 1950s to the 2020s, it unveils the evolving interplay between privacy rights and the shifting tides of rehabilitative and punitive ideologies and policies in the criminal legal system. The analysis shows that privacy concerns initially emerged as a silent underpinning of rehabilitative policies where privacy was recognized as key to rehabilitation, but were subsequently dismissed in the “tough-on-crime” era, where emphasis was placed on public punishment and labeling in the name of public safety. The Article then posits that contemporary strides in criminal record expungement legislation and the embrace of automated record-clearing processes through algorithmic means find their roots in our current moment that emphasizes personal data privacy alongside criminal justice reform. The Article argues that in the current data-driven landscape, informational privacy—the right of individuals to control and protect their personal data from unauthorized access or disclosure—has emerged as an essential yet often understated element in legal reforms addressing criminal record discrimination. These reforms are unfolding against the backdrop of societal calls for safeguarding individuals against lifelong stigmatization and unwarranted surveillance. Privacy considerations, serving as a surrogate for rehabilitation, also help avoid “soft-on-crime” criticism, redirecting attention toward providing individuals with an opportunity to rebuild their lives free from perpetual judgment.However, the Article also introduces a nuanced perspective, cautioning against unbridled optimism in these technological advancements meant to mitigate the collateral consequences of having a criminal record. Specifically, it scrutinizes the potential pitfalls inherent in the algorithmic automation of record clearance processes, as technological realities may also undermine the purported success and fairness of recently enacted criminal record clearance mechanisms. Ultimately, the Article contributes a timely and critical analysis that not only illuminates the historical trajectory of privacy considerations in criminal record expungement law and policy but also injects a note of caution regarding the implications of contemporary technological solutions

LawPod : Episode 5 - Digital Punishment Through Online Criminal Records

LawPod seriesSarah E. Lageson talks to Adam Harkens  about new forms of digital punishment and social control in the United States

Do Flood Mitigation and Natural Habitat Protection Employment Reduce Youth Offending?

The present study examines the association between employment and offending for a sample of young offenders who are paid to work in a pilot program known as the Skill Mill. First, we analyse a sample of 39 youths over a period of 10 years (40 quarters) to determine whether Skill Mill employed youth are more likely to desist from offending than a control group of youth who are not employed in the Skill Mill. Those youths employed by the Skill Mill committed 1.12 fewer offences per quarter than the control group (p<0.001). In addition, offending rates among the Skill Mill youths decreased by 0.99 offences per quarter after they began work (p<0.001). Next, we review results from semi-structured interviews with current Skill Mill employees and their supervisor that helps to unpack why the Skill Mill has been successful in promoting desistance. We conclude that programs like the Skill Mill can mark an important turning point, and more specifically, a hook for change in the lives of young offenders