I see the courts are ….

I see the courts are letting people have their criminal records sealed which is good and all for the criminals but don’t we have the right to know if we are working side by side with a dangerous person?

[ Editor’s Note: Let me first point out that “ the courts” aren’t “ letting” anyone do anything. The right to have a criminal conviction sealed or purged altogether is something allowed under the Arkansas Code of Law and the Department of Justice for certain types of convictions. There are plenty of criminal offenses that are not sealable and eligible to be expunged under any circumstances.

Having said all that, I can understand why you might be concerned, but no convicted violent criminals can have their records sealed or otherwise hidden away. Those will always show up on a full background check.

There is almost always a qualifier about felony convictions on job applications as well, usually 7- 10 yeara but sometimes up to 20.

Now, I will say, though, that at some point you have to say a person has “ paid their debt to society” or whatever and they have to be given some kind of opportunity to make a living and provide for themselves and their families.

It’s just important to know if, say, a bank robber applies to be a teller, you might need to know about their past, but at the end of the day, within reason, a crime committed long enough ago without any further trouble with the law ought not keep a person from getting a good job]