Criminal Records in the Digital Age: A Review of Current Practices and Recommendations for Reform in Texas

Helen Gaebler, Senior Research Attorney William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law The University of Texas School of law

March 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................4 II. THE PROBLEM: CRIMINAL RECORDS AND COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES .........................................5 Collateral Consequences Overview ......................................................................................................... 5 Who’s Affected? A Look at the Numbers in Texas .................................................................................. 8 Disproportionality and the Criminal Justice System .............................................................................. 10 Reaching Across Generations and Communities ................................................................................... 11 III. AN OUTDATED SYSTEM: OPEN ACCESS TO CRIMINAL RECORDS .................................................... 12 The Background Checking Industry........................................................................................................ 12 Common Practices and Pitfalls............................................................................................................... 13 Past Calls for Reform .............................................................................................................................. 15 IV.WHY PEOPLE CARE: PUBLIC SAFTEY AND LIABILITY RECONSIDERED ............................................... 16 The “Public Safety” Argument ............................................................................................................... 16 The “Negligent Hiring” Argument