Within a few months, Texans will be able to access a database of repeat family violence offenders, a first of its kind tool that could help you better know who you’re getting close to.
The idea was brought to Texas by Dallas Police Chief Eddie García, inspired by a murder case his former police department investigated.
Full story: Texas to launch first of its kind database to prevent intimate partner violence – CBS Texas
Giving the public access to official criminal justice data and information certainly has the potential to increase civilian safety through increased awareness of each other. However, as we have seen through the use of the sex offenders registry list, some individuals may stand to be unfairly judged or treated on account of their name being included on such a list. What unintended consequences may occur in Texas or other states that implement similar policies that allow public access to arrest records for individuals with multiple offenses?
I 100% agree with your statement here Bree! While this doesn’t excuse domestic or familial violence, individuals who suffer from mental health disorders are significantly more likely to be put on these kinds of lists. It becomes an issue of an individual’s Right to Privacy. This also becomes an issue with the labeling theory of crime. If an individual is repeatedly or consistently labeled as a criminal and thought of by society as a criminal, then they are more likely to become a criminal or do criminal activities. While, as a woman, I think that this is something that should potentially be implemented in order to protect individuals from becoming victims of violence, I think that this poses a lot of safety issues for the individuals put on these lists.
A lot of consequences could stem from this decision to allow public access to official criminal justice data. To put it quite simply, there are a lot of wannabe cops in this country, and all it takes is them going onto this publicly made database and then there are a good number of “vigilantes”. That may seem a little dramatic, but I truly believe that it would just result in a lot of individuals taking it upon themselves to deal out justice simply because they’re able to see who’s in the system.
An unintended consequence of allowing the public to view these records is the fact that some will misuse it. While I believe that this sort of information can be important for the public to have access to, it also opens up the possibility of harassing individuals in the database. Or it can be used to mistreat individuals on the database. This is an issue especially regarding individuals who have served their sentence and genuinely reformed, giving access to these individuals information can harm the rehabilitation process especially if they get judged frequently because of it. I believe it could also be argued that this could fall into cruel and unusual punishment. Seeing as the individuals on the database still have their rights.
Hey Bree, you bring up a good point of how the sex offender registry has caused some individuals to be judged unfairly. The same problem could occur with the family violence database. There could be an instance where a boyfriend was aggressive towards his girlfriend and she had to defend herself and she somehow ended up being charged for it (or vice versa). If someone was constantly abused and then retaliated they could be put in this database, which could cause them to be judged unfairly. On the other hand it could save people from getting into unsafe situations and relationships. People could use it to look someone up before going somewhere alone with them. It could be very useful, but it could also cause damage to people who might end up on the list.