Uses, Abuses, and Error in Criminal History Data Across Platforms

• In Event: The Accuracy and Use of Criminal Records for Non-Criminal Justice Purposes

Abstract

The Internet has dramatically changed our ability to access and share criminal records. For the first time, mug shots and jailhouse rosters are available at the click of a button. At the same time, criminal records are increasingly used in many aspects of life, including employment, housing, civic participation, volunteering, and even through informal searches on the Internet. These records carry enormous consequences for individuals, yet the accuracy and completeness of records is relatively unknown. To respond to this gap in knowledge, I present preliminary findings of a study that compares public and private criminal records to estimate error across the various platforms used to disseminate this increasingly important information. I will also present several illustrative cases of a data point as it moves across systems and is entered correctly (or incorrectly) in various publicly accessible venues. These findings raise questions of how we should we think about the reliability of criminal background checks as we use them in various social institutions, and what error (or validity) means for labeling, desistance, and crime prevention.

Author

• Sarah E. Lageson, Rutgers University