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I'm not sure (EDIT: replaced 'it is' with 'it should be') a useful tool when taking non-convictions into account. If person A was arrested and then charges were

I'm not sure (EDIT: replaced 'it is' with 'it should be') a useful tool when taking non-convictions into account. If person A was arrested and then charges were dropped, does that make them less innocent than person B who was never arrested in the first place? You could argue that from a probabilistic view, any person who is arrested for a crime is more likely to be a criminal than one who is never arrested ever - and it's up to us as a society whether we want to expose that information so that people can avoid hiring those who have ever been arrested.

jstarfish 3y ago
> You could argue that from a probabilistic view, any person who is arrested for a crime is more likely to be a criminal than one who is never arrested ever - and it's up to us as a society whether we want to expose that information so that people can avoid hiring those who have ever been arrested. Radical feminism really fucked society with this logic since it resonates with hysterics and fools. Previously, it was how everyone blames all crime in town on the Bad Kid because he was caught stealing that one time. "He clearly has it in him to do it!" they say. We all do, I say. Criminals aren't Morlocks from the fucking moon, they're people just like you who were unlucky/incompetent enough to get caught. Arrests/accusations are cheap. Convictions require vetting and evidence. Weighing both the same is a social travesty that defeats the purpose of the justice system and opens everybody up to being framed for anything. If you dare to know how dangerously you live, read up on domestic violence laws and see how many you break when arguing with your spouse. It takes very little to get yourself arrested.
dghlsakjg 3y ago
You could also argue that someone who was arrested, but never convicted, is even less likely to be a criminal. After all, the not inconsiderable resources of the state were focused specifically on that person and their behavior, and the state determined that there wasn't enough evidence to even proceed with charges. A person who has never been arrested has likely never had someone who is deeply incentivized to find wrongdoing look into their actions. It would seem that, logically, we should look most suspiciously at those who have never been arrested! This is of course a naive view of the justice system. We should perhaps treat an arrest as nothing at all since we know that plenty of innocent people get arrested, and the noble thing to do is presume innocence absence a conviction instead of presuming guilt on a weak signal.
bparsons 3y ago
Imagine a situation where a elementary school hires a teacher. They find out that the individual has been investigated several times for sexual assault etc. but the police were never able to bring charges, (which is extremely common). This sort of policy comes from decades of experience with the church, Scouts etc. having to deal with thousands of these types of scandals.

jstarfish 3y ago

> You could argue that from a probabilistic view, any person who is arrested for a crime is more likely to be a criminal than one who is never arrested ever - and it's up to us as a society whether we want to expose that information so that people can avoid hiring those who have ever been arrested. Radical feminism really fucked society with this logic since it resonates with hysterics and fools. Previously, it was how everyone blames all crime in town on the Bad Kid because he was caught stealing that one time. "He clearly has it in him to do it!" they say. We all do, I say. Criminals aren't Morlocks from the fucking moon, they're people just like you who were unlucky/incompetent enough to get caught. Arrests/accusations are cheap. Convictions require vetting and evidence. Weighing both the same is a social travesty that defeats the purpose of the justice system and opens everybody up to being framed for anything. If you dare to know how dangerously you live, read up on domestic violence laws and see how many you break when arguing with your spouse. It takes very little to get yourself arrested.

dghlsakjg 3y ago

You could also argue that someone who was arrested, but never convicted, is even less likely to be a criminal. After all, the not inconsiderable resources of the state were focused specifically on that person and their behavior, and the state determined that there wasn't enough evidence to even proceed with charges. A person who has never been arrested has likely never had someone who is deeply incentivized to find wrongdoing look into their actions. It would seem that, logically, we should look most suspiciously at those who have never been arrested! This is of course a naive view of the justice system. We should perhaps treat an arrest as nothing at all since we know that plenty of innocent people get arrested, and the noble thing to do is presume innocence absence a conviction instead of presuming guilt on a weak signal.

bparsons 3y ago

Imagine a situation where a elementary school hires a teacher. They find out that the individual has been investigated several times for sexual assault etc. but the police were never able to bring charges, (which is extremely common). This sort of policy comes from decades of experience with the church, Scouts etc. having to deal with thousands of these types of scandals.