I don't think there's ever been an understanding that once you walk free from prison your reputation and legacy is wiped clean. If that were the case it would

I don't think there's ever been an understanding that once you walk free from prison your reputation and legacy is wiped clean. If that were the case it would be socially acceptable to commit a crime, serve a sentence to "pay your debt", then walk right out and do the same thing again. Clearly this isn't the case. Completing your sentence means you have a chance to start atoning for the harm you've caused and rebuilding your reputation gradually over time. If Epstein had devoted his time and funds to, say, helping his victims recover and campaigning to discourage/prevent others from committing similar crimes, perhaps some forgiveness may be forthcoming, but I don't know of any evidence that he did anything like that.