I had this idiotic discussion last night with my BF. He told me that he thinks it's unfair for things like DUI felony convictions (his sister) to show up on background checks. He went on to say that he thinks if a person has served their sentence that all but the worst of the felony convictions should not appear on a person's background check. His claim is that it is a form of cruel and unusual punishment since it may affect a person's ability to find work and put food on the table.
My thought is that when people make these kind of stupid decisions, even if they have finished serving their sentence, they need to live with the consequences. If we do not warn potential employers and others that the person they are considering has these flaws, we are failing them. Without these safeguards child molesters could be teachers, wife beaters could be cops, embezzlers could be bankers.
Where do we draw the line at protecting an individuals rights versus the general public?
As fair notice I do have to say that I know this could be a touchy subject. I would also say that my opinion is just that, my opinion.
